BALLA GÉZA | Rosé Cuvée | 2021
feteasca neagra | kadarka | pinot noir

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Today we are also going to review a rosé wine from the Minis-Maderat region of Transylvania – Rosé Cuvée 2021 by ‘Wine Princess’ Balla Géza. This rosé wine is a multi-varietal blend made out of three red grape varieties: feteasca neagra, kadarka and pinot noir. Recent research suggests that an ancestor of Kadarka, the Papazkarasi variety found in the Strandja region of Thrace, was taken westwards and planted around Lake Scutari near the modern Albania-Montenegro border, where it was crossed with a local variety, Skardarsko, creating Kadarka. 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 usually spends around 4 to 6 hours on the skins to produce its trademark pale salmon hue, while cabernet sauvignon needs only a few minutes to make that rich, deep-pink color. 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 pink color
clarity: pastel pink hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & fruity
fruit profile: red fruits | berry fruits
__red fruits: red delicious apple | sicilia orange | red mirabelle | red plum
__berry fruits: berberry | cranberry | redcurrant | wolfberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: none
primary layer: fruit

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: firm
balance: fair
__dominant: acidity & alcohol
body: firm | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: none
finish: medium-
aftertaste: crisp & hot

//Scoring
BALLA GÉZA | Rosé Cuvée | 2021
variety: feteasca neagra | kadarka | pinot noir
country: Romania
region: Minis-Maderat
rating: 90.8

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now – do not age
verdict: nice | enjoyable & quite good
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This is definitely a nice wine of Romania and, with a total of 90.8 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 very crisp and refreshing rosé wine, with a fruity-expressive nose and a lean palate – a wine that feels supple, fresh and round. It 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, as this wine is not designed for long term bottle ageing. On the nose the wine brings ripe red and berry fruits to the foreground, followed by subtle hints of stone fruits in the background. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity and an intense alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a crisp and quite hot aftertaste. What this wine lacks today is harmony and finesse on the palate, as it feels slightly off-balanced. We believe it will pair nicely with shellfish dishes, like for example lobster pasta or langostino tail pasta. 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.