LILIAC | Private Selection | Merlot | 2015
merlot

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Today we are going to review another legendary wine: a single varietal merlot wine from the Lechinta wine growing area in Transylvania – Private Selection Merlot 2015 by Liliac. Merlot is usually regarded as the underdog to the highly priced cabernet sauvignon or cabernet franc varieties, but make no mistake, merlot wine is first class as it is more versatile and ripens earlier than both cabernet grapes, responds well to oak ageing and can be grown in both, cool climate and warm climate with the same success. This particular wine has been crafted in a burgundian style, aged for 9 months exclusively in transylvanian oak barriques in order to fully highlight its origins. 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: medium-deep garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & spicy
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red plum | cranberry | red currant | wild cherry
fruit character: overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | other
__spice: peppercorn | cloves | nutmeg | anise
__oak: rooibos tea | roasted oakwood | cherry tree wood | sun-dried oak | sweet tobacco
__other: clay | loam | cherry seeds
primary layer: oak & spice

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

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

//Scoring
LILIAC | Private Selection | Merlot | 2015
variety: merlot
country: Romania | Transilvania
region: Lechinta
rating: 92.3

//Conclusion
maturity: past its prime | on the decline | drink now
verdict: fine | a wine of premium quality
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This is definitely a fine wine of Romania and, with a total of 92.3 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, lean and crisp merlot wine, with a nicely structured palate and a nuanced oaky accent on the nose. The wine has already passed by the prime of its form and has already started to decline, therefore we would not recommend any further bottle ageing, as 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 red fruits and some very nuanced spicy notes in the foreground, followed by an expressive oaky background and a subtle earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers overwhelming acidity, ripe and fine-grained tannins and a nuanced touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves nicely into a crispy-tart finale. All in all, this is a plump merlot wine that feels slightly tart, spicy and mature – a wine that displays very nice varietal characteristics of a cool-climate merlot. Cheers!

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