PURCARI | Traminer de Purcari | 2018
gewurztraminer

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal traminer wine that comes from the famous Stefan Voda region – Traminer de Purcari 2018 by Purcari. Gewürztraminer (this is the genuine name of the traminer grape variety) competes with sauvignon blanc for the title of ‘the beginner’s grape’ – the one that is easiest for a wine enthusiast to recognise in a blind tasting. With sauvignon blanc it’s all about that unforgettable smell of pyrazines and an almost total absence of colour, while with traminer it’s about the other unforgettable smell – that of rose petals and one of the deepest colours of any white wine. Gewürztraminer usually has high alcohol content, powerfully striking aromatics and low natural acidity. Gewurz ripens so fast that it needs to be planted somewhere relatively cool in order to develop any discernible perfume, which virtually excludes all the world’s warm climates and makes it compete with chardonnay for plantation spots in the cool climates – a competition where traminer is, in most cases, coming up as a runner-up rather than a winner. That said, without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: deep
color: yellow
clarity: clear
hue/rim: yellowish

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: sweet fruits | stone fruits | tropical fruits
__sweet fruits: yellow pear | quince
__stone fruits:yellow mirabelle | nectarine
__tropical fruits: pineapple | passion fruit | lychee
fruit character: overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | herbal | sweet
__floral: rose petals | acacia blossom | iris flower
__herbal: straw grass
__sweet: vanilla | pear candy | candied pineapple
__wood: none

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

//Taste
fruit profile: sweet fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: floral | sweet
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: seedy-green

//Scoring
PURCARI | Traminer de Purcari | 2018
variety: gewurztraminer
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 90.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | in its prime
verdict: good | recommended
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This is definitely a good 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 very good gewurztraminer wine that is already at the summit of its prime form or nearabout, ready to drink now or worth ageing for another year. It tastes refreshing, just a bit sharp and lush, with a very nuanced fruity-floral accent and a seedy-green aftertaste. Overall the wine feels round, lean and nicely balanced, with just a touch of alcohol warmth coming up on the mouthfeel, a very appealing crisp plate and a plump, medium+ body. We would recommend to pair this wine with naturally flavoured seafood dishes, like for example sushi, as the wine’s aromatics would complement very nicely the rice vinegar and nori flavour in the dish and form a balance to envy. Cheers!

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