CATLEYA | Epopée | Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot | 2017
cabernet sauvignon | merlot

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Today we are going to review a wine blend from Mehedinti-Corcova vineyards in the Dealurile Olteniei region – Epopée Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot 2017 by Catleya. This wine is a blend of two classic grape varieties: merlot and cabernet sauvignon where cabernet sauvignon forms the wine’s main body and structure, while merlot adds complexity, enriches the flavour profile with ripe black fruit flavours and smoothens the final blend. Wine blending is part science and part art, which takes years to master, as the winemakers has to use a combination of technical skills, laboratory analysis and wine tasting in order to achieve the desired results. Located in Corcova, Catleya estate was founded in 2007 by three french wine enthusiasts, who chose the Catleya orchid from Marcel Proust’s renowned novel “In Search of Lost Time Volume“, as the symbol of their new adventure. This particular wine is the winemaker’s flagship red blend, sourced from the vines that were planted on calcium-rich, brown soil. The wine has been aged for 18 months in small, 225-liters, romanian oak barriques and is produced in a limited edition of only 2742 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 ruby color
clarity: hazy garnet shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & savory
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red plum | redcurrant | cranberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy
__spice: red pepper | cloves
__oak: cherry tree wood | light-roasted oakwood | rooibos tea | hints of coconut
__savory: brown olive | leather | hints of veal
__earthy: loam | clay
primary layer: fruity–savory

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: fine
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: supple | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium
aftertaste: seedy-crisp

//Scoring
CATLEYA | Epopée | Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot | 2017
variety: cabernet sauvignon | merlot
country: Romania | Oltenia
region: Dealurile Olteniei | Mehedinti-Corcova
rating: 92.8

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 2 or 3 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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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 voluptuous and round wine blend, with a nuanced savory accent. It feels supple and plump, with a full body and a quite fine, or dare we say noble palate. The wine is still developing, thus it needs a bit more time to develop, therefore we would recommend to give it another 2 to 3 years of bottle ageing, in order to allow it to reach its full potential. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of savory notes with ripe red fruits in the foreground, followed by a nuanced, savory-earthy background and a oaky-spicy layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, fine-grained tannins and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a seedy-crisp finale. All in all, this is a ripe, rich and nicely structured wine blend that in its current state lacks just a bit of harmony and finesse on the palate. Our recommendation is to pair it with delicate, fat-rich meats with slightly spicy accents, like for example a peppercorn fillet mignon. Cheers!

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