VINARIA NOBILA | Merlot | 2017
merlot

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 single-varietal merlot wine from the Stefan-Voda region, a wine that has all the prerequisites to become a local legend – Merlot 2017 by Vinaria Nobila. Merlot is usually regarded as the underdog to the highly priced cabernet sauvignon or cabernet franc varieties, but make no mistake here, merlot wine is first class as it is more versatile, ripens earlier than both cabernet grapes, responds quite well to oak ageing and can be grown in both, cool climate and warm climate with the same success. This particular wine has been aged for 24 months in french oak barriques – this is definitely a wine that is meant for long-term ageing. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
___________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: medium
colour: ruby
clarity: hazy
hue/rim: garnet

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

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak
__spice: red pepper | nutmeg | black pepper | cloves
__oak: tobacco | roasted oakwood | cinnamon hints
__wood: new / medium
aroma: primary | secondary

//Palate
sweetness: bone dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: firm
body: full
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol & acidity
complexity: complex

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: spice | oak
finish: long
aftertaste: rough | seedy-crisp

//Scoring
VINARIA NOBILA | Merlot | 2017
variety: merlot
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 93.3

//Conclusion
maturity: youthful | on the rise
verdict: great | a must try
___________________________________________________________________________
This is definitely a great wine of Moldova and, with a total of 93.3 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 definitely one of the finest merlot wines we’ve tasted so far – a wine that needs just a bit more time in the bottle (3 to 4 years should be enough) before it reaches the summit of its prime form. It tastes firm, bold and tannic, with an expressive, fruity-oaky profile and a touch of alcoholic marth on the mouthfeel. The wine feels muscular and grippy, with a full body and a bitter-seedy, a bit rough finale. Still, it does not taste coarse, on the contrary, somehow it manages to feel round and supple, with very nicely integrated acidity and a bold, well structured character on the palate. What this wine lacks today is some more elegance and finesse, as although this is one of the best local merlot wines (if not THE best), there’s still lots of angularity in there, which can only mean that this is a wine that is meant to be enjoyed later rather than today. Just try it out in 2 to 5 years from now.
___________________________________________________________________________
© 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.