FÁUTOR | Aurore | Rara Neagra | 2018
rara neagra

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Today we are going to review a single varietal rara neagra wine from the Valul lui Traian region in the south-west of Moldova – Aurore Rara Neagra 2018 by Fáutor Winery. Rara neagra, which is also known as babeasca neagra in Romania, is an indigenous grape variety that is famous for its ability to highlight different aspects of terroir. The wines made from rara neagra grapes are highly romantic, light in body, with velvety tannins and high natural acidity. Some wine experts and connoisseurs go as far as to even compare them to wines made from pinot noir grapes, in terms of structure and finesse. This particular wine is part of the Aurore wine series, which is made of wines that are meant to reflect all the particularities of the Valul lui Traian terroir. But let’s not get carried away by all that theory – 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: medium to pale ruby
clarity: hazy indigo shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & aromatic
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits | blue fruits
__red fruits: red currant | cranberry
__black fruits: blackberry | huckleberry | black raspberry
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry | honeyberry | boysenberry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | vegetal | savory | other
__floral: violets | squills | sweet violets | lungworts
__vegetal: basil leaf | clover | brown olive
__savory: leather | iron | veal
__other: ripe figs | sweet potato | black soil
__wood: none

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium+
tannin: medium+
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: round | medium

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits & blue fruits
fruit character: ripe & overripe
non fruit: floral & savory
finish: medium+
aftertaste: crisp & appealing

//Scoring
FÁUTOR | Aurore | Rara Neagra | 2018
variety: rara neagra
country: Moldova
region: Valul lui Traian
rating: 91.5

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 1 or 2 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.5 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 one of the best rara neagra wines we’ve tasted so far – round, crisp and supple – a wine that is almost there, at the peak of its prime form, therefore we would suggest for a couple more years of more bottle ageing. The first thing that you’ll notice is the wine’s aromatic profile, as this is a very expressive wine, with a nuanced fruity-floral accent, delivering mesmerizing notes of ripe blue fruits, violets and squills in the foreground, complemented by a less pronounced yet noble background, with irony-leathery flavours and some vegetal hints. On the palate the wine tastes fair, plump and voluptuous, with well integrated acidity, fine-grained tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. Overall this is a nicely structured and well balanced wine, and one that has both, a distinctive personality and the typicity of the rara neagra variety. Cheers!
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