LACERTA | Cuvée IX | 2016
cabernet sauvignon | merlot | syrah | feteasca neagra

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Today we are going to review an amazing wine blend from the famous Dealu Mare region of Romania – Cuvée IX 2016 by LacertA Winery. This wine is a blend of all four major grape varieties from Dealu Mare: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and feteasca neagra, all of them combined to the point of excellence, where cabernet sauvignon forms the wine’s main body and structure, merlot rounds up and smoothens the final blend, syrah adds more tannins and color extract, while feteasca neagra brings slightly more black fruits and delivers a more refined mid-palate. Cuvée IX is the estate’s flagship wine, aged for 12 months in new and second-fill french oak barriques and another year in the bottle before its market release. 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-deep garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades on the rim

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

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth
__spice: black pepper | cloves
__oak: roasted oakwood | charred wood | black tea | tobacco | hints of smoke
__earth: black soil dust
primary layer: fruit & oak

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: round & firm | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: overripe & dried
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium+
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
LACERTA | Cuvée IX | 2016
variety: cabernet sauvignon | merlot | syrah | feteasca neagra
country: Romania
region: Muntenia | Dealu Mare
rating: 92.8

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or age for another 2-3 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended

//Prediction
RP rating: 89

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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 a quite firm, seedy and complex wine blend that fells quite extracted and crisp, vinified in a clear-cut, new-world style. The wine is right there, at the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it now or in the next 2 to 3 years, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. The nose is expressive, with a mixture of overripe and dried black fruits in the foreground, followed by a very noble, spicy-oaky background. On the palate the wine delivers ripe and grippy tannins, elevated acidity and a touch of alcoholic warmth showing through on the mouthfeel. The aftertaste is long and persistent, with a fruity-expressive profile and a slightly drying finish. All in all, this is a round, potent and grippy wine blend with a nuanced fruity-oaky profile – a wine that maybe lacks just a bit of finesse and elegance on the palate. Our recommendation is to pair this wine with any spicy or barbequed meats, like for example a T-bone or a Tomahawk steak, as the wine definitely can handle a bit of smokiness. Enjoy!

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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.