GITANA WINERY | Manastirea Rohrbach Cru | 2018
riesling
We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.
Today we are going to review an emblematic wine from the Valul lui Traian region in the south-west of Moldova – Manastirea Rohrbach Cru 2018 by Gitana Winery. This is a late harvest (the grapes were harvested at the end of November), single varietal riesling wine, made from grapes that were sourced from the hills where once the germanic Rohrbach monastery was practicing the art of winemaking. The whole concept behind this wine is inspired by the old german viticulture practices, to the point that even the grape’s clones were imported from Germany and were planted on the best, sun-exposed, walled hills, called crus. Riesling must be the world’s most misunderstood grape variety, as the resulting wines are unlike any others – light in alcohol, high in natural acidity, with the ability to transmit the terrior through its extract and unique aromas and, what makes it stand out from the crowd, riesling wines are capable of ageing for decades. The wine must underwent cryomaceration for 48 hours in order to extract as much flavour as possible from the grape skins, and then, after the fermentation was complete, the wine was aged in oak for 9 months and signed by the famous italian winemaker Nicola Tucci. Needless to mention that it has been produced in a limited edition of only 6500 bottles. That said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
_________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:
//Visual
color: deep yellow color
clarity: topaz yellow hues
//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & mature
fruit profile: sweet fruits | citrus fruits
__sweet fruits: quince | pear | yellow apple | pluot | yellow mirabelle | honeydew melon
__citrus fruits: lemon | orange
fruit character: overripe & dried
//Flavor
non fruit: herbal | sweet | other
__herbal: hay | straw grass | lemongrass
__sweet: bisquit | brioche | honeycomb | beeswax
__other: petroleum | rubber | penicillin
primary layer: fruit
//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: medium+
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: round | medium+
//Taste
fruit profile: sweet fruits & citrus
fruit character: overripe & overripe
non fruit: floral & dried
finish: long
aftertaste: velvety-crisp
//Scoring
GITANA WINERY | Manastirea Rohrbach Cru | 2018
variety: riesling
country: Moldova
region: Valul lui Traian
rating: 93.9
//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or within the next 3 to 5 years
verdict: great | a legendary wine
_________________________________________________________________________
This is definitely a great wine of Moldova and with a total of 93.9 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 fine and mature riesling wine that feels round, crisp and voluptuous, with nuanced hints of petroleum notes on the nose and a very appealing palate. The wine is right there, at the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it today rather than tomorrow, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. Nevertheless, it has a very good ageing potential and if you’re a fan of those noble-mature white wines, this one deserves a change, as it can clearly stand 3 to 5 more years of bottle ageing. On the nose the wine showcases a mixture of overripe and dried sweet fruits in the foreground, followed by some very nuanced, herbal and petroleum notes in the background. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-watering acidity, ripe tannins (this is no mistake, as this is a white wine that has tannins from cryomaceration on the grape skins and from oak ageing) and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves into a velvety-crisp aftertaste. All in all, this an outstanding riesling wine, definitely the best from Moldova so far – a wine with very good varietal typicity, reminding us of those old German, dry, late harvest, Spätlese riesling wines. Gorgeous – enjoy it!
_________________________________________________________________________
© 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.
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a one-time donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a monthly donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a yearly donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics 