1000 DE CHIPURI | Distinctis | 2014
merlot | cabernet franc

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Today we are going to perform a trip into the past and re-evaluate a wine that is rightly considered amongst the best ever made in Romania – Distinctis 2014 by 1000 de Chipuri. This is the winemaker’s flagship wine, a blend of merlot and cabernet franc, sourced from the Valea Orbilor vineyard in Dealu Mare (which is in fact Romania’s most famous DOC region), where merlot forms the main body and flavour profile, whereas cabernet franc adds structure and rounds up the final blend, delivering some much desired smoothness on the finish, that many wine enthusiasts are seeking. Distinctis is a classic example of modern microvinification – vinified in a classic new-world style, with 24 months of oak ageing and another 12 months of bottle ageing, this is a wine produced in a very limited edition of only 1438 bottles. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the results and find out how it has evolved since our last review.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

(rev.2020)

(rev.2021)

//Visual
colour: deep & noble ruby
clarity: hazy ruby hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & mature
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red plum | red currant | cranberry
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackberry
fruit character: overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | sweet | earthy | other
__spice: red pepper | black pepper | nutmeg
__oak: roasted oakwood | cherry tree wood | hints of liquorice & tobacco
__sweet: dried black cherry | dried cranberry | hints of dried figs
__earthy: soil dust | red clay
__other: paprika | hints of wood varnish
__wood: new / medium+ roast

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

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

//Scoring
1000 DE CHIPURI | Distinctis | 2014
variety: merlot | cabernet franc
country: Romania
region: Dealu Mare
rating: 92.0

//Conclusion
maturity: close to its prime | age for 2-3 more years
verdict: great | a must try
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This is definitely a great wine of Romania and, with a total of 92.0 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 definitely a very fine wine blend that is very close to the summit of its prime form – a wine that can age for another 2 or 3 years in the bottle. It feels rich, jammy and austere, with a firm tannic grip on the mouthfeel and a bitter-seedy finale. This is a fruit-forward, full-bodied wine blend with an overwhelming alcohol warmth on the palate and a slightly rough and sharp character. One thing that makes this wine stand apart is the fruit extract – an insane amount of overripe and dried red and black fruit flavours that are supported by firm and ripe tannins, that can only be explained by the extremely hot climate of the Dealu Mare wine growing area, a microclimate that becomes hotter with each passing season due to both, climate change and insane amounts of CO2 that are accumulating in the region, resulting in overripe grapes, rich in residual sugar and as a result, high alcohol content in th wines. The winemakers are facing a big challenge in the last couple of years: either harvest the grapes earlier in the season, risking to get green tannins in the wine, due to unripe stems and seeds, or harvest the grapes later in the season, risking to get high alcohol content in the final wine, due to the high sugar concentration in the berries. Climate change is a factor that already plays a major role in reshaping the wine maps all over the world – one that should be seriously considered.

(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.