ATÚ WINERY | Calibru .12-21 | 2017
feteasca neagra | merlot | cabernet sauvignon

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Today we are going to perform a trip into the past and re-evaluate a wine that we’ve already reviewed before – Calibru .12-21 2017 by Atú Winery. Calibru .12-21 is the winemaker’s flagship wine – a blend of feteasca neagra, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, where feteasca neagra forms the main body and flavour profile, merlot rounds up the blend and brings more up-front richness, while cabernet sauvignon adds structure and complexity to the final blend. Each variety has been harvested individually at its optimal ripeness and aged separately for 12 months and 21 days in genuine romanian oak barrels, hence the wine’s name ‘.12-21‘. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results and find out how the wine has evolved.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

(rev.2020)

(rev.2021)

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

//Olfactory
intensity: rich
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
__red fruits: overripe sour cherry
__black fruits: black plum | blackcurrant | black cherry | blackberry | aronia berry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | other
__spice: black pepper | nutmeg | cloves
__oak: roasted oakwood | cherry tree bark | tobacco | hints of smoke
__other: black soil dust | black tea | sweet tobacco
__wood: new / heavy roasted

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: medium
__grip: ripe
body: round & austere
balance: fair
__dominant: alcohol
complexity: moderate

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: seedy-rough

//Scoring
ATÚ WINERY | Calibru .12-21 | 2017
variety: feteasca neagra | merlot | cabernet sauvignon
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 91.0

//Conclusion
maturity: almost there | developing
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.0 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 nice and interesting wine blend: ripe, sharp and austere, with a very pronounced alcoholic burn on the plate and well integrated acidity –  wine that needs just a bit more time in the bottle (1 to 2 years should be fine) in order to round up and smoothen its sharp edges. The wine tastes rough, spicy and seedy, with a nuanced fruity-oaky profile and a ripe seediness in the aftertaste. It has a ripe tannic grip on the mouthfeel, medium body and medium complexity. It might taste angular and slightly tart at first, but it turns round and a bit wide after 25 minutes of eration. What this wine lacks today is some harmony and finesse on the palate – traits that might (or might not) come with time spent in the bottle. In its current state, we would recommend to pair this wine with spicy or peppery meats with nuanced smoky accents, like for example a pepper-crusted beef tenderloin or some smoked pork ribs. Cheers!

(rev.2020)
(rev.2021)

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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.