CHATEAU CRISTI | Chardonnay | Barrel Fermented | 2018
chardonnay

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 – Chardonnay Barrel Fermented 2018 by Chateau Cristi. This is a single varietal, barrel fermented chardonnay wine, vinified in a classic Bourgogne style, with 4 months of ageing in oak barrels, which means that the wine also went through the malolactic fermentation – a process where the crisp, malic acid in the wine is converted into a more softer, lactic acid, thus, the wine becomes less tart and more silky. Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grape variety that is prized for its ability to produce top-quality wines in a wide range of climates and terroirs. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results!
___________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

Visual
Pale, straw-yellow color with deep topaz-yellow shades towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with sweet fruits and citrusy flavours: yellow apple, quince, pear, lemon, pineapple, white grapefruit, apricot, white cherry, meadow flowers, acacia blossom, marguerite daisy and some hints of sencha tea. An instant later the nose is filled with insistent notes of fresh oakwood, hazelnut, cashew, almonds and some elegant hints of sweet vanilla.

Gustatory
The wine is medium-dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and ripe tannins. It tastes lean, round and supple, with a nuanced fruity-citrusy profile and a touch of alcoholic warmth showing through on the mouthfeel. The wine has a quite bitter-seedy and complex palate, with a noble, oaky and elegant structure. Overall the fine feels smooth, a bit zesty and nuanced, as this is a fine chardonnay wine indeed, with mouth-watering acidity and delicate woody notes and a slight bitterness on the finale.

Aftertaste
The wine has a long finish and a quite pleasing, citrusy-crisp aftertaste.
___________________________________________________________________________

This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 90.8 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 chardonnay wine that is right there, at the summit of its prime form – a wine that can resist a couple more years of bottle ageing, still we would strongly suggest to drink it sooner rather than later. With a slight bitterness on the finish, this wine might feel a bit angular, yet it is not, those are the effects of oak ageing – the oak-infused tannins that delivers creaminess and zestiness on the palate and the fine-grained textured mouthfeel. To be honest, this is one of those wines that can be served as an aperitif, but also works well alongside the main entrée. We would suggest to pair this wine with fat-rich creamy dishes, like for example lemon and garlic oven baked dorado filet or some lobster tails with white butter sauce. Enjoy!

WineStatistics tasting results:

CHATEAU CRISTI
Chardonnay | Barrel Fermented | 2018

grape: | chardonnay |

region: Moldova | Valul lui Traian

overall rating: | 90.8 |

maturity: in its prime

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.