DOMAINE BESSA VALLEY | Enira | Reserva | 2016
merlot | syrah | cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot

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Today we are going to review a very special wine, a masterpiece from Bulgaria – Enira Reserva 2016 by Domaine Bessa Valley. This wine is a classic Bordeaux blend, made of merlot (53%), syrah (32%), cabernet sauvignon (10%) and petit verdot (5%) grapes that are sourced from the Thracian Lowlands vineyards, planted on clay and limestone soils, where merlot forms the wine’s main body and flavour profile, syrah adds spiciness and color depth, cabernet sauvignon enhances the wine’s structure and adds complexity, while petit verdot highlights the local terroir and brings subtle floral notes to the final blend. Bessa Valley Estate is owned by the Count Stephan von Neipperg (owner of Canon la Gaffelière, La Mondotte and Château Guiraud) and is focused on producing wines that allies Bordeaux expertise with the bulgarian terroir. This particular wine is signed by the famous oenologist Marc Dworkin and has been aged for 18 months in french oak barriques, from which 50% new oak and 50% at second use and the result is astonishing – an exquisite wine that is mixing power with finesse. 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 & opaque ruby color
clarity: hazy garnet shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & oaky
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry | bramble | prune | dried black cherry | dried black plum | aronia berry
fruit character: overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | other
__spice: black pepper | cloves | nutmeg | tonka seeds
__oak: roasted oakwood | black tea | tobacco | liquorice
__other: figs | eucalyptus | hints of lavender
primary layer: fruit & oak

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

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

//Scoring
DOMAINE BESSA VALLEY | Enira | Reserva | 2016
variety: merlot | syrah | cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot
country: Bulgaria
region: Thracian Lowlands
rating: 94.2

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | can age for 3-4 more years
verdict: great | a must try wine

//Prediction
RP rating: 90+

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This is definitely a great wine of Bulgaria and, with a total of 94.2 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 crisp, hot and quite grippy wine blend, with a firm, bold but voluptuous mouthfeel. The wine is still developing, therefore we would recommend to age it for another 3 to 4 years, in order to allow it to develop further complexity and round up its edges. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of overripe and dried black fruits in the foreground, followed by a spicy-oaky background and some very subtle floral hints in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers exuberant acidity, ripe yet fine-grained tannins and an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth showing through on the mouthfeel, which all lead to a seedy-tart aftertaste. All in all, this is a quite potent, rich and expressive wine blend, that is highlighted by an extracted nose and a nuanced palate. Our recommendation is to pair it with barbecued or spicy meats, like for example a grilled T-bone steak with herb butter. Enjoy!

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