VINARIA JUGRESTAN | Pururea | 2018
feteasca neagra

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Today we are also going to review a single varietal feteasca neagra wine from a little known wine region in Maramures, Dealurile Satmarului – Pururea 2018 by Vinaria Jugrestan. Feteasca Neagra is an indigenous romanian variety that has been grown for hundreds of years on substantial plantings in the south of Moldova and eastern Muntenia and today, this is the most famous red variety in Romania. Wines made from feteasca neagra grapes are usually fruit-forward, structured and complex, wines that quite often are compared to merlot or cabernet franc, mostly due to their full body, high tannins and elegant textures. There is a rising demand for feteasca neagra wines both, on the local market as well as on the international markets and many wine experts name this variety as the visit card of romanian wines. This particular wine is microvinification at its finest, made of only late harvest grapes, aged for 12 months in one single oak barrique and therefore produced in a very limited edition of only 300 bottles –  very rare wine even in Romania. That said, 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
colour: medium ruby
clarity: hazy indigo

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

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | sweet
__spice: black pepper | nutmeg | cloves
__oak: roasted oakwood | hints of liquorice & tobacco
__sweet: blackcurrant jam | aronia berry jam | blueberry jam
__wood: new / medium roast

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

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: oak & sweet
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: seedy & tart

//Scoring
VINARIA JUGRESTAN | Pururea | 2018
variety: feteasca neagra
country: Romania
region: Dealurile Satmarului
rating: 91.8

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 2 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Romania and, with a total of 91.8 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 feteasca neagra wine: round, plump and appealingly seedy – a wine that is still developing, thus one that can surely benefit of another 2 or 3 years of bottle ageing. It tastes youthful, expressive and fruity, with most of the fruit being on the overripe side of the spectrum (it is a late harvest wine after all). The wine feels well balanced, with overwhelming acidity and a fine-grained tannic grip on the mouthfeel. All in all, this is a well structured and slightly tart wine, with nuanced acidity, medium-plus body and just a touch of alcoholic warmth in the background. Drink in 2 years from now (if you are lucky enough to get one) and pair it with a medium-rare filet mignon steak, served with blackberry jam and dressed in bourbon or red wine reduction sauce. Noroc!
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