PURCARI | Negru de Purcari | Vintage | 2015
cabernet sauvignon | saperavi | rara neagra

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Today we are going to review a Bordeaux-style blend, a wine that has gained a legendary status over the years – Negru de Purcari Vintage 2015 from Purcari. This wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, saperavi  and rara neagra grape varieties, harvested and selected by hand, produced using traditional methods and aged for 18 months in french oak. The three varieties are combined almost to perfection, where cabernet sauvignon forms the main body and structure, saperavi adds velvetines and hints of leather, while rara neagra brings on the local terroir and those subtle rustic accents that are sought-after by the wine connoisseurs. 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
clarity: clear
concentration: opaque
colour: ruby
hue/rim: purple

//Sight
stain: medium
viscosity: medium
sediment: none

//Olfactory
outset: clean
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: black fruits | blue fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | vegetal | spice | oak | animal | earth
__floral: violet
__vegetal: olive
__spice: black pepper | nutmeg | rosemary
__oak: liquorice | tobacco
__animal: capocollo | veal | leather | iron
__earth: soil dust | truffle
__wood: new / roasted
aroma: primary | secondary | tertiary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: med(+)
__grip: green
texture: round
body: full
balance: fair
__dominant: acidity
complexity: moderate

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits | blue fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: vegetal | spice | oak
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: seedy

//Scoring
PURCARI | Negru de Purcari | Vintage | 2015
variety: cabernet sauvignon | saperavi | rara neagra
climate: moderate
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 90.7

//Conclusion
maturity: on the rise
verdict: fine
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 90.7 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 youthful wine: firm, seedy and slightly tart, with a nuanced fruity-savory accent – a wine that has yet to reach its peak form, therefore we would strongly suggest for another 3 or 4 more years of bottle ageing. It has plenty of green, rough tannins on the palate, with an austere angularity on the mouthfeel and a touch of alcoholic warmth showing through. All the above plus the sharp, overwhelming acidity, makes the wine feel slightly off its balance, as in its current form it lack harmony and elegance on the palate – this is a wine that screams for more bottle ageing.
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