CARASTELEC | Carassia | Classic | Brut | #
chardonnay | pinot noir

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Today we are going to review a sparkling wine that we were eager to taste for a very long time – Carassia Classic Brut by Carastelec Winery. This is a true crémant wine, a blend of 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir, produced using the authentic méthode traditionelle technique, the same way the famous french champagne is made. The grapes for this sparkling wine are sourced from the Kiscsere and Tóka vineyards, situated in northern Transylvania, and after the second fermentation in the bottle, the wine spent 22 months on fine lees (sur lie). Due to long term second fermentation in the bottle (including the sur lie ageing) and further bottle maturation, the wine developed extra complexity and delivers enhanced creaminess on the palate. That said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to the tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: medium yellow color
clarity: clear yellowish hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & noble
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits | stone fruits
__green fruits: white apple | quince | white mulberry | gooseberry | asian pear
__citrus fruits: lemon | white pomelo
__stone fruits: yellow mirabelle | white peach | white apricot
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | lactic
__floral: acacia flower | daffodil
__lactic: bisquit | butter | brioche | panna cotta | baguette | crème brûlée
primary layer: fruit & lactic

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium
tannin: none
__grip: fine
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: round | medium

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits & citrus
fruit character: ripe & underripe
non fruit: lactic & yeasty
finish: medium+
aftertaste: crisp & refreshing

//Scoring
CARASTELEC | Carassia | Classic | Brut | #
variety: chardonnay | pinot noir
country: Romania | Transilvania
region: Crisana | Silvania
rating: 92.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or in the next 2 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Romania and with a total of 92.7 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 supple, round and refreshingly-crisp sparkling wine that is very close to the peak of its apogée, thus one that can be enjoyed today or within the next 2 years. It has a pronounced fruity-yeasty profile on the nose and feels very well structured and rich on the palate. The wine delivers mouth-watering acidity and a well integrated alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel, with an appealingly-crisp aftertaste. On the nose the wine displays a mixture of ripe green fruits and citrus in the foreground, with nuanced leesy-buttery notes of bisquit, brioche and baguette in the background. All in all this is a quite complex and well structured crémant wine, with a creamy-smooth palate that reminds us of those famous Champagne wines. Cheers!

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