DAVINO | Alba Valahica | Feteasca Alba | 2020
feteasca alba

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal feteasca alba wine that comes from the relatively warm, Ceptura sub-region of the famous Dealu Mare wine growing area in Muntenia – Alba Valahica Feteasca Alba 2020 by Davino. Feteasca Alba is an old, indigenous romanian variety, that dates back for almost two thousand years – a variety that is little known outside of Romania and Moldova. Feteasca Alba wines stand out from the crowd mostly due to their delicate balance and elegance on the palate. There is a rising demand for feteasca alba wines both, on the local market as well as on the international markets and many experts name this variety as one of the visit cards of romanian white wines. Some even say that feteasca alba is the only grape variety that can display notes of vine blossom in its aroma profile. In order to preserve the varietal characteristics of the feteasca alba grapes and at the same time to add extra complexity, this wine has been aged for 6 months on fine lees (‘sur lie’ as the french call it) exclusively in stainless steel tanks, avoiding any oak contact. But enough theory, that said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: straw-yellow color
clarity: pastel-yellow hues

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & fruity-herbal
fruit profile: sweet fruits | citrus fruits | stone fruits
__sweet fruits: asian pear | quince | white apple | wild pear | wild apple
__citrus fruits: lemon | pomelo | white grapefruit
__stone fruits: white apricot | white peach
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: herbal
__herbal: meadow | marguerite daisy | chamomile | nettle | hay | straw grass
primary layer: fruity-herbal

//Palate
sweetness: bone dry
acidity: medium+
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: green
balance: fair
__dominant: alcohol
body: rough | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: yellow fruits & stone fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: herbal
finish: medium
aftertaste: rough & heady

//Scoring
DAVINO | Alba Valahica | Feteasca Alba | 2020
variety: feteasca alba
country: Romania | Muntenia
region: Dealu Mare | Ceptura
rating: 91.4

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Romania and with a total of 91.4 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 heady and austere feteasca alba wine that feels unbalanced, rough and a bit sharp, with an expressive, fruity-herbal nose and a bitter-seedy mouthfeel. The wine is right there, at the peak of its prime form, thus we would recommend to drink it today or within a year, in order to enjoy it at its finest, 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 brings a mixture of ripe yellow fruits, stone fruits and citrus in the foreground, followed by a some very pronounced, herbal notes in the background. On the palate the wine delivers flat acidity and an overwhelming alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves into a rough and heady aftertaste with nuanced hints of phenolic bitterness (hey, it’s a warm climate after all). All in all, this a very angular and slightly aggressive feteasca alba wine, that in its current state lacks any form of harmony and finesse on the palate. Judging by the wine’s flavour profile and its structure, we believe it will pair nicely with richly-flavoured dishes, like for example pear and lemon summer salad, or tagliolini with white truffles and butter sauce. Cheers!

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