LARGA VALLEY | Merlot – Feteasca Neagra | 2018
merlot | feteasca neagra

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Today we are going to review a wine that was very recently released on the local marked – Merlot – Feteasca Neagra 2018 by Larga Valley. This wine is a blend made of merlot and feteasca neagra grape varieties, where merlot forms the main body and deliver more suppleness on the palate, while feteasca neagra brings more fruit flavours and adds structure to the final blend. Blending wines is part art and part science, as it requires knowledge and skill, so that the winemaker is expected to know what is the supposed end result beforehand and of course wine blending requires a lot of time and many wine tastings sessions. But enough theory, that said and 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: pale
colour: ruby
clarity: hazy
hue/rim: garnet

//Olfactory
intensity: rich
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: cranberry | sour cherry | red plum | red currant
fruit character: baked

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | earth | other
__spice: red pepper
__earth: red soil dust
__other: beetroot | cherry tomato | sweet potato | tomato leaf | moisture
__wood: none
aroma: primary | secondary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: medium
__grip: green
body: medium
balance: fair
__dominant: acidity | alcohol
complexity: simple

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: baked
non fruit: other
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: bitter-crisp

//Scoring
LARGA VALLEY | Merlot – Feteasca Neagra | 2018
variety: merlot | feteasca neagra
country: Moldova
region: Valul lui Traian
rating: 89.5

//Conclusion
maturity: on the rise
verdict: fair | not bad
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This is definitely a fair 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 fair wine blend that is still to youthull to be enjoy today, as in its current state it feels rough, angular and green, with baked red fruits and some nuanced savory flavours of beetroot and sweet potato. The wine tastes bitter, seedy and tart, with sharp acidity and a touch of alcoholic burnt on the mouthfeel. It has medium body and and moderate complexity – this is a wine that lacks harmony between its elements – maybe a couple of years of bottle ageing will improve the wine’s overall balance. In order to maximize its character, we would suggest to pair this wine with meaty dishes that are rich in natural fat and umami flavours, like for example some beef tenderloin steak with herb sauce, as those smooth-irony accents in the dish will complement well all those seedy-tart notes in the wine.
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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.