NOVAK | Alb de Onitcani – Rcatiteli | 500 Litres Barrels | 2018
alb de onitcani | rkatsiteli

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Today we are also going to review a very special wine, one that took the local market by storm from its very inception – Alb de Onitcani – Rcatiteli 500 Litres Barrels 2018 by Novak Winery. This is a white wine blend, made of alb de onitcani and rkatsiteli grape varieties, where alb de onitcani forms the wine’s body and the main aromatic profile, while rkatsiteli brings on more structure and complexity on the palate and enhances the wine’s flavours in the background. The wine has been aged for 10 months in big, 500-liters oak barrels, which adds complexity to the blend and adds some much desired woody flavours, that also increases the wine’s overall complexity. 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: pale
color: straw-yellow
clarity: clear
hue/rim: pastel-yellow

//Olfactory
intensity: rich
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits | stone fruits
__green fruits: pear | apple | asian pear | quince | wild pear
__citrus fruits: lemon | pomelo
__stone fruits: apricot | yellow mirabelle
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | herbal | oak | earth
__floral: lindenflower | marguerite daisy 
__herbal: pear leaf
__oak: fresh oakwood | hints of vanilla
__earth: chalk
__wood: new /  light roast

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

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: floral | oak
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: appealing

//Scoring
NOVAK | Alb de Onitcani – Rcatiteli | 500 Litres Barrels | 2018
variety: alb de onitcani | rkatsiteli
country: Moldova
region: Valul lui Traian
rating: 91.2

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | can age for another year
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and with a total of 91.2 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 and wine blend indeed, one that is right there at the peak of its form: smooth, supple and very appealing. The wine feels very well balanced, with a rounded body, lovely acidity and quite some alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. It has been aged for 10 months in big, 500-liters oak barrels and the result is there, as the wine feels creamy, crisp and woody, with subtle oakiness and a quite nuanced and noble fruity-floral accent. The wine delivers some very nuanced floral hints on the nose and a slightly bitter-green finish on the palate, mostly coming from the oak. Overall this is a very harmonious wine, with a medium body and moderate complexity, a wine that can be enjoyed today or in a year or two from now. Noroc!

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