FAMBER WINERY | Merlot | An Exceptional | 2020
merlot

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Tonight we are going to review a single varietal merlot wine with the label ‘Made in Moldova‘ – Merlot An Exceptional 2020 by Famber Winery. Merlot is second-most planted grape variety in the world after cabernet sauvignon and 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. With vibrant and rich, upfront fruit flavors, moderate tannin and balanced acidity, merlot is an ideal food pairing wine and a safe bet for any occasion. Merlot grape (its name translates into english as ‘the little blackbird‘) is the progeny of cabernet franc and magdeleine noire des charentes – an old, esoteric french variety discovered through DNA testing. This particular wine is made out of late harvested merlot grapes, with a 5 weeks long extended maceration, which adds more flavour and color extract. In order to gain extra complexity on the palate, this wine has been aged for 12 months in american oak barrels. 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: deep & opaque ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & expressive
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black plum | blackcurrant | black cherry | aronia | blackberry
fruit character: overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak
__spice: peppercorn | nutmeg | cloves | tonka seeds
__oak: cherry tree wood | liquorice | sweet tobacco | roasted oak
primary layer: fruit & oak

//Palate
sweetness: off dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: firm | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium-
aftertaste: seedy

//Scoring
FAMBER WINERY | Merlot | An Exceptional | 2020
variety: merlot
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 92.8

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 3 to 5 more years
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 seedy, rich and extractive merlot wine, with an expressive nose and a grippy mouthfeel. The wine is still developing, therefore we would recommend to age it for 3 to 5 more years, in order to allow it to develop further complexity and round up its sharp edges, as the potential is clearly there. On the nose it brings overripe black fruits mixed with some nuanced oaky notes in the foreground, followed by very appealing, sweet spice hints in the background. On the palate the wine delivers exuberant acidity, astringent and seedy tannins and an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a seedy-crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is an overripe, tannic and slightly bitter merlot wine, that definitely needs more time to settle down, as in its current state it lacks harmony and finesse on the palate. Nevertheless, this is still a very enjoyable wine that will pair nicely with grilled or barbequed meats with spicy-sweet accents, like for example a grilled T-bone steak or a barbequed rib-eye steak. Cheers, my friends!

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