GITANA WINERY | La Petite Sophie | 2018
feteasca regala | chardonnay | riesling

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Today we are going to review a wine that has acquired a legendary status over the last decade – La Petite Sophie 2018 by Gitana Winery. This is the winemaker’s flagship white blend and one of the most famous local wines – a blend of chardonnay, feteasca regala and riesling grape varieties, where chardonnay forms the main body and structure, while feteasca regala and riesling adds up-front richness, sweet fruits notes on the nose and floral hints in the background. Also, what makes this wine special is the fact that the chardonnay variety has been aged for 4 months in oak in order to gain more texture, complexity and the much desired vanilla flavours, while the other two varieties have been left unoaked, fresh and crisp s they are. 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
color: deep yellow
clarity: clear topaz-yellow hues

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & clean with nuanced petroleum hints
fruit profile: yellow fruits | citrus fruits | stone fruits
__yellow fruits: yellow apple | yellow pear | quince
__citrus fruits: sweet lemon
__stone fruits: apricot
fruit character: overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | oak | sweet | other
__floral: acacia blossom
__oak: hints of vanilla
__sweet: raisins | pear jam | dried pear | dried apple | quince jam | dried banana
__other: petroleum | synthetic rubber | botrytis
__wood: old / light

//Palate
sweetness: off dry
acidity: med(+)
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: low
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: none
body: round | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: yellow fruits
fruit character: overripe & dried
non fruit: petroleum
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: appealing

//Scoring
GITANA WINERY | La Petite Sophie | 2018
variety: feteasca regala | chardonnay | riesling
country: Moldova
region: Valul lui Traian
rating: 92.7

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now till end of year
verdict: great | a must try
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This is definitely a great wine of Moldova and with a total of 92.7 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 fine white blend that is right there at the summit of its prime form, a wine that could resist another 12 to 18 more months of bottle ageing in proper conditions. It tastes smooth, noble and amazingly appealing, with a nuanced fruity-floral accent, mouth-watering acidity and just a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. This is a very well balanced wine blend, as it feels crisp, harmonious and rich, with a round and voluptuous body and seedy crisp, yer ripe finale. The wine displays a rich and complex aromatic profile, with nuanced overripe and dried sweet fruits in the foreground and some pronounced petroleum and botrytis notes in the background. Just remember that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late, therefore our recommendation is to forget about ageing and enjoy this wine today, at its finest. Cheers!

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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.