NOVAK | Saperavi | 2017
saperavi

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Today we’ve decided to also review a wine that is considered to be one of the best single-varietal saperavi wines from Moldova – Saperavi 2017 by Novak Winery. Saperavi is a teinturier grape variety, which means that the flesh of the berry is also dark when compared to other red grape varieties, as a result, the wines are very deep in color with very nuanced acidity and firm tannins, which makes them respond well to ageing. Although Georgia is the birthplace of saperavi, there are a handful of other european countries that also grow and produce high-quality saperavi wines, and Moldova is one of them. Some even go as far as to say that the saperavi wines that are made in Moldova are of a better quality that the ones from Georgia. This particular wine has been aged for 12 months in oak barrels and is made of grapes that were sourced from the Valul lui Traian region in the south-west of Moldova. That said and 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 & opaque ruby
clarity: hazy purple shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & vinous
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black plum | black cherry | blackcurrant
fruit character: overripe & jammy

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | sweet | other
__spice: black pepper | nutmeg | cloves
__oak: roasted oakwood | liquorice | tobacco | hints of smoke
__sweet: black cherry jam | black plum jam | dried figs 
__other: dried black cherry | dried black plum
__wood: new / medium+ to high roast

//Palate
sweetness: bone dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: rough
balance: fair
__dominant: alcohol & tannin
body: austere | full body

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

//Scoring
NOVAK | Saperavi | 2017
variety: saperavi
country: Moldova
region: Valul lui Traian
rating: 91.3

//Conclusion
maturity: youthful | age for 3-5 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.3 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 saperavi wine that has yet to reach the summit of its prime form, thus one that will benefit from another 3 to 5 more years of bottle ageing. It tastes rich and jammy, with a nuanced fruity-oaky profile and quite austere palate. The wine also has overwhelming acidity and alcohol on the mouthfeel, which leads to a quite tart and rough finale. All in all this is a full-bodied saperavi wine, with a firm and muscular tannic grip and a very expressive nose – a wine made in a new-world, fruit-forward style, with plenty of overripe and dried black fruits and a nuanced oaky, and slightly smoky finish. What this wine lacks today is a bit finesse on the palate, as in its current state it feels sharp, angular and a bit aggressive. This is a wine that requires a bit more time to settle down and round up its corners, still, this is a wine with a great ageing potential, one that will definitely improve with additional bottle ageing. Cheers!
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