SERVE | Cuvée Charlotte | 2014
cabernet sauvignon | feteasca neagra | pinot noir

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Today we are also going to review a legendary wine blend from the Dealu Mare wine region in Muntenia – Cuvée Charlotte 2014 by SERVE. This is a classic Bordeaux blend and a reference point for many other romanian blends, vinified in a traditional french style and named after the first daughter of the founder, this wine is a honest representation of the Dealu Mare terroir, where in 1993 Count Guy Tyrel de Poix fell in love with an indigenous feteasca neagra wine made by Aurel Rotarescu and decided to extend his wine business, thus founding the S.E.R.V.E. company in Romania. This particular wine is made of cabernet sauvignon (57%), feteasca neagra (37%) and pinot noir (6%) grape varieties, where cabernet sauvignon forms the main body and structure, feteasca neagra adds up-front richness and enhances the blend with the much-desired local terroir notes, while pinot noir adds acidity and some subtle vegetal hints to the final wine. 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: deep & noble ruby
clarity: hazy garnet hues

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & savory
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: cranberry | sour cherry | red currant | red plum
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: herbal | spice | oak | savory | earthy
__herbal: wormwood
__spice: red pepper
__oak: cherry tree wood | sun-dried oakwood
__savory: leather | capocollo | veal | iron
__earthy: dust | clay | loam | forest floor | compost
__wood: old & new / light roast

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

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: unripe
non fruit: savory
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: seedy & appealing

//Scoring
SERVE | Cuvée Charlotte | 2014
variety: cabernet sauvignon | feteasca neagra | pinot noir
country: Romania
region: Dealu Mare
rating: 93.1

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | can age for 2 more years
verdict: great | a must try
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This is definitely a great wine of Romania and, with a total of 93.1 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 great and delicate wine blend indeed – fruity-savory, noble and rustic – a wine that is right there, at the summit of its prime form, yet one that can age for another 2 years in the bottle. This is a very round, plump and elegant wine, one that feels complex and well structured, with well integrated alcohol and acidity and a fine tannic grip on the mouthfeel. The wine delivers a very nice balance between primary fruit flavours and subtle oaky notes in the background, with a plethora of noble savoriness in between, making it a perfect pairing partner for any naturally scented meats, like for example black angus or game. This is a classic (as far as classic goes) old-world blend, full in body, with plenty of terroir-driven earthy hints (mostly clay and loam) and a crisp and very appealing finale. This wine is a fine example of how a terrior-driven blend can be crafted using tradition and technology.In our opinion, this is definitely a wine that has both, distinctive personality and the footprint of the Dealu Mare terroir.
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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.