CRICOVA | Reserve | Cabernet-Sauvignon | Brut Alb | #
cabernet sauvignon

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Tonight we are going to review a sparkling wine that was recently revealed on the market – Reserve Cabernet-Sauvignon Brut Alb by Cricova. This is a single-varietal sparkling wine, made of cabernet sauvignon grapes, which are red of color (the technique of making white whines using red grapes is called ‘Blanc de Noirs‘), produced in accordance with the italian transfer method. This method is identical to the traditional method except that wines are not riddled and disgorged in the same manner, instead, the bottles are emptied into a pressurized tank and sent through pressurized filters to remove the dead yeast bits (the lees), then the wines are bottled using pressurized fillers. This is in fact one of the most used methods nowadays, but enough with all that theory. That said, without further ado, let’s move on straight to the tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: translucent
color: straw white
clarity: clear
hue/rim: silver

//Olfactory
intensity: rich
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits | stone fruits | tropical fruits
__green fruits: gooseberry | white apple | white pear | quince | wild apple
__citrus fruits: pomelo | lemon
__stone fruits: white apricot | nectarine | pluot | mirabelle
__tropical fruits: persimmon | lychee
fruit character: baked

//Flavor
non fruit: floral
__floral: acacia blossom | orange blossom
aroma: primary | secondary

//Palate
sweetness: off dry
acidity: med(+)
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: med(-)
__grip: ripe
body: round
balance: fair
__dominant: sugar
complexity: simple

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits | stone fruits
fruit character: baked | ripe
non fruit: floral
finish: medium
aftertaste: seedy-sweet

//Scoring
CRICOVA | Reserve | Cabernet-Sauvignon | Brut Alb | #
variety: cabernet sauvignon
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 89.5

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime
verdict: good
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This is definitely a good wine of Moldova and with a total of 89.5 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 sparkling wine that is ready to be enjoyed today or in the next 3 to 6 months – it tastes sweet, seedy-crisp and fruity, with some subtle floral hints and very appealing palate. The wine feels a bit too sweet for a brut, as it’s closer to an off-dry wine, respectively it is a bit off-balanced, with residual sugar clearly dominating over the palate, leading to a slightly opulent finale. Still, it does have a round body and a nice, crisp acidity, which makes it very refreshing, lacking maybe just a bit of finesse on the mouthfeel. Overall this is a very good sparkling wine that will go well with an oven baked mahi-mahi with butter & garlic dressing – a crowd-pleaser.

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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.