MINIS TERRIOS | Harap Alb | 2018
cabernet sauvignon | feteasca neagra

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 interesting and even unique wine – Harap Alb 2018 by Minis Terrios. This is a white wine, yet it is a blend of two red grape varieties – cabernet sauvignon and feteasca neagra, which means that the wine has been vinified in a non-traditional, blanc de noir style – a white wine made of red grapes. In vinification terms it means that the juice of the grapes is separated from the skins as soon as possible to avoid pigmentation, and because the pulp of the berry is grey of color, without any color extract, the resulting wines are clear in color, similar to the wines made from white varieties. That said, without further ado, let’s move on straight to the tasting results.
___________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
clarity: clear | hazy | cloudy | misty
brightness: dull | hazy | bright | starbright
concentration: translucent | pale | medium | deep | opaque
color: straw | green| yellow | gold | amber
hue: silver | green | yellow | orange | amber

//Sight
stain: light | medium | heavy
viscosity: low | medium | high
gas evidence: yes | no
sediment: yes | no

//Olfactory
outset: clean | faulty [TCA | sulphur | ethyl acetate | geosmin | brett | oxidation | VA]
intensity: delicate | light | moderate | rich | powerful
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits | stone fruits | red fruits
__green fruits: gooseberry | kiwi | apple | pear | quince | wild apple | wild pear
__citrus fruits: orange | tangerine | grapefruit | pomelo | lemon | sicilia orange
__stone fruits: apricot | peach | nectarine | pluot | mirabelle plum | honey melon
__red fruits: apple | red plum | cranberry | red currant | wolfberry | red mulberry 
fruit character: baked | unripe | ripe | overripe | jammy | dried

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | vegetal | herbal | spice | oak | sweet | lactic | earth
__floral: linden flower | acacia blossom | orange blossom | rose | lilac
__vegetal: hay | wheat | nettle | dill | bell pepper | asparagus
__herbal: straw grass | green grass | eucalyptus | currant leaf
__spice: white pepper | cloves | anise | rosemary | ginger | mint
__oak: coconut | vanilla | dried banana | cinnamon | smoke | menthol
__sweet: corn | honey | caramel | toffee | marmalade | jam | candy
__lactic: baguette | crème brûlée | panna cotta | butter | yeast | yogurt
__earth (organic): soil dust | turf | forest floor | compost | mushrooms | truffle
__earth (inorganic): limestone | chalk | slate | flint | aspirin | petroleum | varnish
__wood: [old | new | none] / [dried | roasted | charred]
aroma: primary | secondary | tertiary

//Palate
sweetness: bone dry | dry | off dry | sweet | extra sweet
acidity: low | med(-) | medium | med(+) | high
alcohol: low | med(-) | medium | med(+) | high
tannin: none | low | med(-) | medium | med(+)
__grip: fine | ripe | firm | green | rough
texture: creamy | round | lean
body: light | medium | full
balance: bad | poor | fair | good | fine
__dominant: sugar | acidity | alcohol | tannin | none
complexity: simple | moderate | complex

//Taste
fruit profile: malic | citric | stone | tropical | lactic
fruit character: baked | unripe | ripe | overripe | jammy | dried
non fruit: floral | vegetal | herbal | spice | oak | sweet | animal | earth
aroma: primary | secondary | tertiary
finish: short | med(-) | medium | med(+) | long
aftertaste: rough | astringent | seedy | appealing | velvety

//Scoring
MINIS TERRIOS | Harap Alb | 2018
variety: cabernet sauvignon | feteasca neagra
origin: old world | new world
climate: cool | moderate | warm
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 89.2

//Conclusion
maturity: on the rise | in its prime | past its prime | on the decline
verdict: fair | good | fine | great | exceptional
___________________________________________________________________________

This is definitely a good wine of Moldova and with a total of 89.2 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.

Verdict: this is a quite green, angular and zesty wine – a bit sharp on the palate, fairly balanced, with a nuanced green, fruity-citrusy profile and a bitter-seedy mouthfeel – a wine that is still on the rise and, as so, a couple more months of bottle ageing are highly recommended. The wine feels crisp and rough, with a balance that is closer to an orange wine rather than a white wine, delivering unripe fruits on the nose and a significant tannic grip on the palate, leading to some sharp bitterness on the mouthfeel.

___________________________________________________________________________
© 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.