SERVE | Cuvée Guy de Poix | 2016
feteasca neagra

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Today we are going to review an iconic, single varietal feteasca neagra wine from Dealu Mare – Cuvée Guy de Poix 2016 by SERVE. Feteasca Neagra is an indigenous romanian variety that has been grown for hundreds of years on substantial plantings in the south of Moldova and eastern Muntenia and today, this is the most famous red variety in Romania. Wines made from feteasca neagra grapes are usually fruit-forward, complex and structured, wines that quite often are compared to merlot and cabernet franc, mostly due to their body, fine tannins and elegant textures. There is a rising demand for feteasca neagra wines both, on the local market as well as on the international markets and many experts name this variety as the visit card of romanian wines. The story of this particular wine started in 1993, when Count Guy Tyrell de Poix, mesmerized by the potential of those indigenous feteasca neagra wines made by Aurel Rotarescu, left behind his homeland and moved to Romania to extend his wine business, thus founding the S.E.R.V.E. company. Love for feteasca neagra was the trigger for his incredible story, and as such it only comes natural that his best and his last wine bears his full name. In order to preserve the varietal typicity and the purity of fruit of feteasca neagra grapes, the wine has been aged in second- and third-fill romanian and french oak barriques for 8 and 12 months respectively and is produced in a limited edition of only 8646 bottles. 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: deep & noble garnet color
clarity: hazy garnet shades on the rim

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

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy
__spice: peppercorn | allspice | cloves | anise
__oak: roasted oakwood | black tea | oaktree bark | tobacco
__savory: leather | brown olive | dehydrated olive
__earthy: black soil | dust | granite | quartz
primary layer: fruit & oak

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: none
body: supple & round | full body

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

//Scoring
SERVE | Cuvée Guy de Poix | 2016
variety: feteasca neagra
country: Romania
region: Dealu Mare
rating: 95.0

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | can age for another 3-4 years
verdict: great | a must try wine | a wine that has all the traits to become legendary

//Prediction
RP rating: 90

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This is definitely a great wine of Romania and, with a total of 95.0 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 round, voluptuous and noble feteasca neagra wine, with a quite complex and well structured mouthfeel. The wine is right there, at the summit of its prime form, therefore we would recommend to drink it now or in the next 3 to 4 years, in order to enjoy it at its finest, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of overripe and dried black fruits in the foreground, followed by a mesmerizing, spicy-oaky background and a savory-earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-watering acidity, seedy tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a seedy yet very appealing aftertaste. All in all, this is one of the best feteasca neagra wine that we have tasted so far: bold and expressive, a wine that is mixing power with finesse in a very elegant way. Our recommendation is to pair this wine with delicate, fat-rich meats, like for example Tournedos Rossini or peppercorn-crusted fillet mignon. Enjoy!

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