CARAGIA WINERY | Merlot | 2017
merlot

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal merlot wine, whose previous edition impressed us so much, that we were eagerly waiting for the next one – Merlot 2017 by Caragia Winery. 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 wine has been crafted by Constantin Caragia, produced in a very limited edition of only 600 bottles, aged for at least 18 months in french oak barriques and then another 36 months in the bottle before it was deemed ready for release on the market. But enough with all that theory, 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: pale garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & mature
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: red plum | wolfberry | red cherry | cranberry | redcurrant
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth | other
__spice: red pepper | cloves | nutmeg | anise
__oak: cherry tree wood | sun-dried oakwood
__earthy: loam | clay | marl | barnyard | forest floor
__other: dried leaves | dried herbs | red bell pepper | tobacco leaf | lanolin | wool
primary layer: fruit & other

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium+
tannin: medium-
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: supple | medium

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: spice & herbs
finish: medium
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
CARAGIA WINERY | Merlot | 2017
variety: merlot
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 92.8

//Conclusion
maturity: past its prime | on the decline | drink now or within a year
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 92.8 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 quite crisp and slightly seedy wine, as it feels plump, supple and ample, with an overripe nose and a round mouthfeel – a wine that has already reached its peak form, therefore we would recommend to drink it sooner rather than later, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine delivers ripe and overripe red fruits to the foreground, followed by a noble, spicy-oaky background and a pronounced layer of dried herbs in between. The wine already displays notes of dried herbs, lanolin, wool and overripe fruits, which means that it has already switched from the development to the maturity phase, therefore there is not much room left for bottle ageing, if one still wants to catch glimpses of primary flavour in the glass. On the palate the wine displays exuberant acidity, seedy tannins and a nuanced touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, all of which leads to a pleasantly-seedy and crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is an already developed and partially mature wine that in its current state lacks a bit of structure on the palate. Taking into account the wine’s flavour profile and its structure, we believe it will pair lovely with delicate meats, like for example a peppercorn-crusted filet mignon with wild mushrooms and cognac sauce or a black angus filet mignon. Enjoy!

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