CHÂTEAU VARTELY | Cameo | Blanc de Noir | 2021
rara neagra

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal rara neagra rosé wine from the relatively cool Codru region of Moldova – Cameo Blanc de Noir 2021 by Château Vartely. This rosé wine was vinified by the the so-called ‘Blanc de Noir‘ technique, where the juice from the red grapes is separated from the skins as soon as possible in order to avoid pigmentation of the grape must. Rosé itself is a bizarre wine category, as it isn’t exactly a red wine nor is it a white wine – it is something in between. The secret to the pinkish hue of the rosé wine is found in the skins of the grapes and more exactly in the anthocyanin pigments. When making a red wine, the skins spend the entire fermentation touching the juice, for rosé however the process is shortened, for example pinot noir or rara neagra usually spends around 4 to 6 hours on the skins to produce its trademark pale salmon hue, while syrah or cabernet sauvignon needs only a few minutes to make that rich, deep-pink color – this is called the ‘Saignee Method‘. Most rosé wines are made this way, the trap here lies in the character of the resulting wine, as the focus on color alone might compromise the taste and flavour of the resulting wine. The ‘blanc de noir‘ technique is quite tricky to master, it is also used in white wine production, but mostly applied in the production of sparkling wines. Howether, there are situations when a wine, that was meant to be marketed as a white wine, is pinkish in color, therefore it is more closer to a rosé wine than to a white wine – it’s the result of too much skin contact (maceration). But enough theory, that said, 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
color: pale salmon color
clarity: pastel orange hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & expressive
fruit profile: sweet fruits | stone fruits | red fruits | berry fruits
__sweet fruits: asian pear | pink mulberry
__stone fruits: peach | nectarine | apricot
__red fruits: redcurrant | cranberry | red cherry 
__berry fruits: goji berry | berberry | wolfberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: sweet
__sweet: bisquit | brioche | cake
primary layer: fruit

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: green
balance: fair
__dominant: acidity
body: supple | medium

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits & berry fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: sweet
finish: medium
aftertaste: tart

//Scoring
CHÂTEAU VARTELY | Cameo | Blanc de Noir | 2021
variety: rara neagra
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 90.5

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now – do not age
verdict: nice | enjoyable & quite good
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 90.5 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 crisp and refreshing rosé wine that feels lean and tart on the mouthfeel, with a very nuanced fruity profile on the nose. The wine is right there, at the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it today rather than tomorrow, while it is still young and refreshing. On the nose the wine brings ripe red and berry fruits to the foreground, followed by stone fruits in the background. On the palate the wine delivers overwhelming acidity and an intense alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which all leads to a quite tart aftertaste. All in all this is a quite supple and slightly acrid rosé wine with a very expressive nose and a slightly angular palate. We would suggest to pair this wine with light dessert dishes with highlighted acidity, like for example lemon fluff or tropical fruit salad. Cheers!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.