MAESTRO | Merlot | Barrique Reserve | 2017
merlot

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Tonight we are going to review another single-varietal merlot wine from the Valul lui Traian region – Maestro Merlot Barrique Reserve 2017 by Imperial Vin. Merlot is usually regarded as the underdog to the highly priced cabernet sauvignon, but make no mistake here, merlot wine is first class – it is versatile, ripens earlier than cabernet sauvignon, responds well to oak ageing and can be grown in both, cool and warm climate. This particular wine has been aged for 12 months in small oak barriques and produced in a limited edition of only 2500 bottles. This is a relatively new sub-brand on the local market, launched one year ago, with only two, limited edition, signature wines. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

Visual
Deep ruby color, not very opaque, with pale ruby shades towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with ripe black fruit flavours: sour cherry, black plum, black cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry, black raspberry, pomegranate and cherry tree wood. An instant later the nose is filled with elegant notes of red pepper, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, roasted oakwood, cherry tree wood and some insistent hints of tobacco.

Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and ripe tannin. It feels lean, round and opulent, with a plumpy, fruity-sweet accent. This is a quite supple, oaky and crisp merlot wine, as it tastes slightly spicy, seedy and bitter-sweet, with a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. Overall, the wine has a fair balance between primary fruit and oak-infused flavours – this is a wine that maybe lacks just a bit of character and structure on the palate, otherwise a fine, well balanced merlot wine.

Aftertaste
The wine has a long finish and a quite pleasing, crisp and slightly sweet aftertaste.
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.1 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 fine example of a merlot wine that is still on the rise – fruity, opulent and round – a wine that requires a couple more years of bottle ageing. This is a merlot wine that might lack some structure and character, otherwise a very well made merlot, with recognizable varietal characteristics and quite nuanced oak-infused sweet and spicy flavours. We would recommend to pair this wine with very-rare and slightly sweet meaty dishes, like for example some duck breasts with red wine sauce or a very-rare filet mignon with red wine reduction sauce, so that all that fruitiness in the wine will be enhanced by the natural umami flavours of the meat and the sweetness of the sauce. Enjoy!

WineStatistics tasting results:

MAESTRO
Merlot | Barrique Reserve | 2017

grape: | merlot |

region: Moldova | Valul lui Traian

overall rating: | 91.1 |

maturity: on the rise

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.