GITANA WINERY | Manastirea Rohrbach Cru | 2017
riesling

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Today we are going to review a very special wine with the label Made in Moldova – Manastirea Rohrbach Cru 2017 by Gitana Winery. This is a late harvest, single varietal riesling wine, that originates in the Valul lui Traian region, on the hills where once the Rohrbach monastery was practicing the art of winemaking. The whole concept behind this wine is inspired by old german viticulture practices, to the point that even the grape’s clones were imported from Germany and were planted on the best sun-exposed walled hill, called crus. Riesling must be the world’s most misunderstood grape variety, as the resulting wines are unlike any others – light in alcohol, high in natural acidity, with the ability to transmit the terrior through its extract and unique aroma and, what makes it stand out from the crowd, riesling wines are capable of ageing for decades. That said, let’s find out how good this wine is and where it stands in our ratings. On to the tasting!
___________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

Visual
Pale, straw-yellow color with pastel greenish shades towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with sweet fruits, floral and mineral flavours: jasmine, green pear, melissa, lemon, straw grass, green apricot, petroleum scents, hay, gooseberry, green grass, acacia blossom, currant leaf, nectarine, wild pear, wild apple and some subtle hints of chalk and wetstone.

Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and green but firm tannins. It tastes zesty, crisp and seedy, with a fruity-mineral profile on the palate. The wine has a quite green, slightly citrusy accent on the mouthfeel, with an elegant, zingy finale, as it feels a bit woody, yet quite complex and noble. The wine has a fair overall balance and it might feel a bit too youthful, lacking maybe just a bit of harmony.

Aftertaste
The wine has a medium-plus finish and a quite pleasing, seedy-crisp aftertaste.
___________________________________________________________________________

This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 90.9 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Conclusion: this is definitely a wine that is still too young to be enjoyed in its current state, a wine that requires at least 1 or 2 more years of bottle ageing before it reaches its peak form. Regardless of its age, this is indeed a fine riesling wine with a profile that is reminiscent of the famous german rieslings from the Mosel valley, with zingy acidity fruity-petroleum notes. To be honest, we were pleasantly surprised by its quality – a wine that has class written all over it, from the first sip to the last one, and for that, we have to thank the winemaker – Nicola Tucci. We would suggest to pair this wine dishes that are rich in natural acidity and have nuanced flavours, like for example a maple roasted quince and brussels sprout salad or some langostino rice with garlic herb butter. Enjoy!

WineStatistics tasting results:

GITANA WINERY
Manastirea Rohrbach Cru | 2017

grape: | riesling |

region: Moldova | Valul lui Traian

overall rating: | 90.9 |

maturity: on the rise

conclusion: fine | (highly recommended)

___________________________________________________________________________
© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.