NOVAK | Alb de Onitcani | Barique | 2017
alb de onitcani

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Today we are going to review a quite unique wine with the label Made in Moldova – Alb de Onitcani Barique 2017 by Novak Winery. This is a single varietal wine that is made of an indigenous variety – alb de onitcani – a wine that has been aged for 3 months in french oak barrique. Alb de onitcani is a very rare local variety that has a promising future, that is also used for divin production, and Novak Winery from the famous Valul lui Traian region is the only winemaker that uses it for dry white wines. Alb de onitcani is a hybrid grape variety and it is resistant to low temperatures and fungal diseases, howether it is important to keep the yields as low as possible if the purpose is to make top quality wines. That said, without further ado let’s move on, straight to the wine tasting phase!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

Visual
Deep, bright-yellow color with elegant, pastel-yellow hues towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with sweet fruits and floral flavours: honeysuckle, peach, pear, pineapple, nectarine, acacia blossom, iris flower, white honey apple, white cherry, apricot, overripe ripe quince, white cherry jam, candied pineapple, candied peach, lemon jam, apple blossom and some insistent hints of raisins & may honey.

Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and ripe tannins. It tastes delicious, creamy and crisp, with a nuanced fruity-floral profile. The wine has a quite smooth and extremely appealing palate, with a very aromatic and refreshing mouthfeel. Overall this is a lean, smooth and just a bit woody wine, with a fair overall balance and a round, velvety and even elegant plate – a fine wine indeed.

Aftertaste
The wine has a medium-plus finish and a quite pleasing, crisp and slightly bitter aftertaste.
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.0 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 a very fine and refreshing wine that is right there, at the summit of its prime form – a wine that can age for another year in the bottle. It has been aged for 3 months in french oak barrels and the result is there – lean, creamy and round, with subtle woodiness and nuanced fruitiness on the mouthfeel, this wine is extremely appealing, where the nuanced fruity flavors glide alongside those subtle woody notes. To be honest, this wine is a match made in heaven for seafood dishes with creamy textures, like for example creamy mozzarella shrimp pasta or a lobster bisque. Enjoy!

WineStatistics tasting results:

NOVAK
Alb de Onitcani | Barique | 2017

grape: | alb de onitcani |

region: Moldova | Valul lui Traian

overall rating: | 91.0 |

maturity: in its prime

conclusion: fine | (highly recommended)

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© 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.