GOGU WINERY | Metafora | 2017
merlot | cabernet sauvignon | saperavi

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Today we are going to review a wine that has established itself as a blend that one should keep an eye on – Metafora 2017 by Gogu Winery. This wine is a blend made of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and saperavi, where merlot forms the main body and flavour profile, cabernet sauvignon adds structure and complexity, while saperavi rounds up the palate and enhances the wine’s color. Wine blending is part science and part art, as it takes years to master – the winemakers has to use a combination of technical skills, laboratory analysis and of course tasting. This particular wine has been aged for 16 months in french oak barrels. 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
concentration: deep
colour: ruby
clarity: hazy
hue/rim: ruby

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant
fruit character: overripe | dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | sweet | earth
__spice: red pepper | black pepper | cloves
__oak: tobacco | smoke
__sweet: dried black cherry | dried black plum
__earth: black soil | compost
__wood: new / medium
aroma: primary | secondary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: med(+)
__grip: firm
body: medium
balance: good
__dominant: acidity | alcohol
complexity: moderate+

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
fruit character: ripe | overripe
non fruit: spice | oak
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: seedy-crisp

//Scoring
GOGU WINERY | Metafora | 2017
variety: merlot | cabernet sauvignon | saperavi
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 91.7

//Conclusion
maturity: on the rise
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.7 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 very fine wine blend – firm, supple and round, with overwhelming acidity and a touch of alcoholic warth on the plate – a wine that needs a bit more time in the bottle (2 to 3 years should be fine), as it has yet to reach its prime form. The wine tastes extracted, spicy and oaky, with a nuanced fruit-forward profile and a ripe seediness in the aftertaste. The wine has a fine-tannic grip on the mouthfeel and it feels a bit smoky and quite muscular, with a medium complexity and a seedy-crisp finale. What this wine lacks today is some elegance and finesse on the palate – traits that might develop with time spent into the bottle. Overall this is a well structured wine blend that is definitely among the best local wine blends.
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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.