DOMENIILE PRINCE MATEI | Villa Zorilor | Merlot | #
merlot

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal merlot wine from the famous Dealu Mare region of Romania – Villa Zorilor Merlot by Domeniile Prince Matei. The domain was previously owned by Vinarte – one of the top romanian producers who put romanian single-varietal wines on the mappemonde. Howether, in 2019, Crama Villa Zorilor was sold to the holding that also owns the famous Via Viticola Sarica Niculitel. Merlot is usually regarded as the underdog to the highly priced cabernet sauvignon, but make no mistake, merlot wine is first class – it is versatile, ripens earlier than cabernet sauvignon, responds well to oak ageing and can be grown in both, cool and warm climate with the same success. This merlot wine is the lesser brother of the legendary Prince Matei wine and is intended to appeal to the taste of the regular wine enthusiast. 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 garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & clean
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red plum
__black fruits: blackberry | black plum | black cherry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy | other
__spice: black pepper | nutmeg
__oak: roasted oakwood
__savory: leather | brown olive | hints of iron & veal
__earthy: black soil dust | clay | loam | compost | turf | black tea
__other: dried black plum | dried black cherry
primary layer: fruit

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

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

//Scoring
DOMENIILE PRINCE MATEI | Villa Zorilor | Merlot | #
variety: merlot
country: Romania | Muntenia
region: Dealu Mare | Zoresti
rating: 91.4

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 2-3 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Romania and, with a total of 91.4 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 and appealing merlot wine that is very close to the peak of its prime form – a wine that can still benefit from another year or two in the bottle. It feels supple, crisp and slightly tart on the palate, with fine-grained tannins and overwhelming acidity and alcohol, which leads to a seedy and hot aftertaste. The wine delivers ripe and overripe fruits mixed with some nuanced leathery notes in the foreground, supported by a delicate, earthy and slightly spicy background. All in all, this is a slightly angular merlot wine, that in its current state lacks some harmony and finesse on the palate, as it tastes bitter-seedy and feels quite rough on the mouthfeel. That said, it will do amazingly well if paired with spicy-barbequed meats, like for example some pulled pork or a grilled jalapeño burger. Cheers!

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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.