CRAMA FERDI | Red King Rezerva | 2018
cabernet sauvignon

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Today we are going to review a single-varietal cabernet sauvignon wine from the famous Dealu Mare region in Muntenia – Red King Rezerva 2018 by Crama Ferdi. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world in a wide range of climates and regions and it can produce wines that are very high in tannins and acidity, wines that can mature and develop for many years in the bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon is also a late ripening grape variety, which means that it is best suited for warm climates, where it is capable to produce wines that can reach into realms of perfection. This particular wine is made from the grapes that are harvested in the famous Dealu Mare region and it has been aged for 20 months in oak barriques. The wine is signed by Fernando Mihailescu and is produced in a very limited edition of only 880 bottles – microvinification at its finest – this is a wine that is definitely meant for long-term ageing. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
___________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep | noble ruby
clarity: hazy copper shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & clean
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: blackcurrant | black cherry | black plum | blackberry | brumble | aronia berry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: oak | savory | earthy | other
__oak: oaktree bark | black tea | roasted oakwood | charred wood
__savory: hints of leather
__earthy: black soil dust | gravel | petrichor | hazelnut
__other: brown olives | dried tomatoes | hints of violets
__wood: new / medium roast

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

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: ripe & overripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium+
aftertaste: bitter-seedy

//Scoring
CRAMA FERDI | Red King Rezerva | 2018
variety: cabernet sauvignon
country: Romania
region: Dealu Mare
rating: 92.8

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 4-5 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
___________________________________________________________________________
This is definitely a fine wine of Romania and, with a total of 92.8 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 great cabernet sauvignon wines, yet a wine that still needs time in the bottle (at least 4 or 5 more years) before it will hit its prime form. In its current state the wine tastes rough, angular and quite grippy, with a nuanced earthy-savory, oaky profile (you can call it old-world style if you want) and quite some alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. The wine feels firm, bold and voluptuous, with a nuanced seediness on the palate and a very complex structure. It has well integrated acidity and some expressive, spicy-oaky notes in the background. What this wine lacks today is some elegance and finesse on the palate, as there’s still lots of sharp edges in there, which can only mean that this wine requires time to round up and settle down. All in all this is a earthy, full-bodied and well structured cabernet sauvignon wine that has all the prerequisites to become a local legend – all it needs is time and patience.

___________________________________________________________________________
© 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.