GITANA WINERY | Lupi | 2016
cabernet sauvignon | merlot | saperavi
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Today we are going to review a wine that has acquired a legendary status over the last decade – Lupi 2016 by Gitana Winery. This is a wine blend, made in a classic Bordeaux-style and named after a pack of wolves that settled in the area where the grapes are grown. Lupi (which literally translates as ‘wolves’) is the winemaker’s flagship wine and one of the most famous wines with the label ‘Made in Moldova‘ – a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and saperavi grape varieties, aged for 24 months in big russian oak barrels, followed by another 14 months in american oak barriques. But hey, let’s not get carried away by all that theory, without further ado, let’s move on, straight to the tasting!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:
Visual
Deep and noble ruby color with hzy yet elegant purple hues towards the rim of the glass.
Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with black & red fruits and spicy flavours: licorice, sour cherry, black mulberry, leather, blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, black plum, dried figs, cherry tree wood and some subtle hints of violets. An instant later the nose is filled with elegant notes of roasted oakwood, red pepper, nutmeg, sweetwood, black pepper, sweet tobacco, allspice, anise, cigar box and noble hints of cinnamon.
Gustatory
The wine is medium-dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and fine-grained tannin. This wine is a real crowd pleaser, as it feels elegant yet flamboyant at the same time, quite expressive and very noble, with a nuanced fruity-spicy accent. This is an extracted, well structured and complex wine, that tastes leathery, ripe and extremely appealing on the mouthfeel – a fine example of a new-world wine blend. The wine has a good overall balance between the nunced, primary fruit aromas and the subtle, oak-infused flavours.
Aftertaste
It has a long finish and an elegant, seedy and slightly sweet aftertaste.
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This is definitely an exceptional wine of Moldova and, with a total of 92.3 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 one of the finest wine blends of Moldova, yet one that is still on the rise, as it has yet to reach the summit of its prime form. This is a wine that requires a bit more time, as in its current state it might feel a bit too tart and youthful, therefore we would strongly suggest another 3 or 4 years of bottle ageing. The wine has a fine-tannic grip on the mouthfeel, with nuanced fruitiness and subtle yet elegant woody notes – it is so well balanced, that one will hardly tell that the wine has been oak aged for more than 6 months. In order to elevate its elegance, we would recommend to pair this wine with meaty dishes, rich in natural umami flavours and sweet accents, like for example a filet mignon steak with balsamic sauce or a flank steak with blackberry sauce, so that all the fruitiness in the wine will be complemented by the flamboyance of the dish. Enjoy!
WineStatistics tasting results:
GITANA WINERY
Lupi | 2016
grape: | cabernet sauvignon | merlot | saperavi |
region: Moldova | Valul lui Traian
overall rating: | 92.3 |
maturity: on the rise
conclusion: excellent | (a must try)
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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.
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WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a one-time donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a monthly donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a yearly donation so that we can review even more wines.
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