NOVAK | Pinot Noir | 2018
pinot noir

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal pinot noir wine from the Valul lui Traian region of Moldova – Pinot Noir 2018 by Novak Winery. This wine is part of the winemaker’s flagship ‘Black Label’ line, made of wines that are produced from international grape varieties with extensive barrel maturation. Pinot noir is the most sought after red wine in the world, as the grape itself is quite vulnerable, suffering from a multitude of diseases and its genetics make it highly susceptible to mutation. Despite the difficulty to grow pinot noir, it is capable of producing the very best expressions of terrior and in fact, this is the reason why pinot noir is so much appreciated all over the world. This particular wine has been produced in a limited edition and has been aged for 12 months in oak barrels. 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: pale garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & expressive
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: red currant | cranberry | sour cherry | red plum | pomegranate
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: vegetal | spice | oak | savory | earthy
__vegetal: wormwood | cherry seeds | asparagus | brown olive
__spice: red pepper | nutmeg | cloves
__oak: cherry tree wood
__savory: hints of iron & veal
__earthy: brown soil | loam
__wood: new / light roast

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: med(+)
alcohol: high
tannin: med(+)
__grip: fine
balance: fair
__dominant: alcohol
body: supple | medium-

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: spicy-earthy
finish: medium+
aftertaste: appealingly-seedy

//Scoring
NOVAK | Pinot Noir | 2018
variety: pinot noir
country: Moldova
region: Valul lui Traian
rating: 90.7

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now
verdict: good | a fine wine
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This is definitely a good wine of Moldova and, with a total of 90.7 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 nice pinot noir wine with some clear cut claims of typicity – a wine that has already stepped on the podium of its prime form and one that can age for another year or two in the bottle. It tastes seedy, supple and slightly green, with a nuanced fruity-earthy foreground, supported by a vegetal-herbal background and a layer of woody-spiciness in between. The wine might feel a bit angular, with a fine-grained tannic grip on the palate, crisp acidity and an overwhelming alcoholic warmth showing through on the mouthfeel, all of which leads to a quite nuanced seedy finale. All in all, this is a pinot noir wine that feels rustic and green, with some promises of varietal typicity and hints of local terroir. Our recommendation is to drink it now or in the next 24 months and pair it with dried meats and herbs.

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