CHÂTEAU VARTELY | Cameo | Saperavi | 2019
saperavi

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal saperavi wine from the relatively cool Codru region of Moldova – Cameo Saperavi 2019 by Château Vartely. Saperavi (which translates into english as ‘color‘ or ‘dye‘) is Georgia’s main red variety and a teinturier grape, which means that the flesh of the berry is also dark, thus the resulting wines are very deep in color. The resulting wines are high in natural acidity, with firm tannins, which makes them respond well to ageing. Although Georgia is the birthplace of saperavi, there are a handful of other countries that also grow and produce high-quality saperavi wines, Moldova being one of them. Some even go as far, to affirm that the saperavi from Moldova are better that the ones from Georgia, but you know the truth – it’s just a matter of taste. Due to the deep color of saperavi wines, in its homeland in Georgia, some wineries label their wines as ‘black wine’ instead of ‘red wine’. 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: deep ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & delicate
fruit profile: black fruits | blue fruits
__black fruits: blackberry | black plum
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: oak | earth | other
__oak: roasted oakwood | oaktree bark | black tea | tobacco | liquorice
__earth: pencil lead | black soil dust | charcoal
__other: new leather | peppercorn
primary layer: fruit & oak

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

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

//Scoring
CHÂTEAU VARTELY | Cameo | Saperavi | 2019
variety: saperavi
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 91.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or age for 2 or 3 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.7 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, crisp and quite lean saperavi wine, with a plump, maybe a bit flat palate and a nuanced, oaky accent on the nose. The wine is still in its development phase, thus it can be either enjoyed today or aged for another 2-3 years, but make sure you uncork it sooner rather than later, 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 ripe and overripe blue and black fruits in the foreground, followed by a nuanced, oaky background and a very subtle, earthy layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, ripe tannins and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves into a pleasantly crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is a quite ample and round saperavi wine, that in its current state lacks complexity and finesse on the palate. In our humble opinion, this is not a blueprint saperavi wine, at least not of the type that one can find on the local shelves, as this one is different, less structured and slightly more opulent than both, georgian and moldovan single-varietal saperavi wines. Judging by the wine’s structure and its flavour profile, we believe it will pair nicely with any cherry sauce-based steaks or a classic fillet mignon steak. 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.