ZAIG | White Nr.1 | F.A. & S.B. | 2019
feteasca alba | sauvignon blanc

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Today we are going to review a quite intriguing wine – White Nr.1 F.A. & S.B. 2019 by Casa de Vinuri Zaig. This wine is a blend of two grape varieties: 30% feteasca alba (an old, indigenous romanian variety that dates back for almost two thousand years) and 70% sauvignon blanc (often called simply sauvignon – an extremely popular grape variety that makes crisp, dry, aromatic and extremely distinctive wines all over the world), where feteasca alba forms the main body and structure of the wine, while sauvignon blanc adds crispness and brings herbaceous notes to the foreground. The wine is signed by Cristina Carazan – one of the winemakers of Casa de Vinuri Zaig. That said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: straw-white color
clarity: straw-yellow hues

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & herbaceous
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits
__green fruits: gooseberry | green pear | green apple | wild pear | wild apple
__citrus fruits: lime | bergamot | green grapefruit
fruit character: underripe & ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: herbaceous
__herbaceous: currant leaf | capsicum | freshly cut grass | nettle | lemongrass
primary layer: herbaceous

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

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

//Scoring
ZAIG | White Nr.1 | F.A. & S.B. | 2019
variety: feteasca alba | sauvignon blanc
country: Romania | Transilvania
region: Lechinta | Teaca
rating: 92.6

//Conclusion
maturity: on the verge of decline | drink now
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Romania and with a total of 92.6 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 appealing, crisp and refreshingly zesty white blend, with an expressive nose and a supple and lean palate. The wine is right there, at the summit of its prime form, therefore we would recommend to drink it now, as it will not benefit from any more ageing. On the nose the wine brings underripe green and citrus fruits in the foreground, followed by a very nuanced herbaceous background. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-watering acidity, some phenolic bitterness and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel. All in all, this is a zingy and very nuanced wine blend with a fruity-herbaceous profile – a wine that will go well alongside fresh oysters. Cheers!

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