DOMENIILE SCUTELNIC | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2020
cabernet sauvignon

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Today we are going to review a single varietal cabernet sauvignon wine from a new winemaker – Valerian Scutelnic, who launched its wines last fall in Moldova – Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 by Domeniile Scutelnic. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world in a wide range of climates and regions and it can produce wines that are very high in tannins and acidity – wines that can mature and develop for many years in the bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon is also a late ripening grape variety, which means that it is best suited for warmer climates, where it is capable to produce wines that can reach into realms of perfection, where they are rarely followed. In order to gain more structure and complexity, and at the same time, to soften a bit those firm tannins, this wine has been aged for 15 months in oak barrels and produced in a very limited edition of only 900 bottles – a wine that has been recently awarded a Gold Medal at the prestigious Meininger’s Mundus Vini wine tasting competition. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
_________________________________________________________________________
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 & oaky-expressive
fruit profile: black fruits | dried fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | aronia berry | blackcurrant
__dried fruits: dried black cherry | dried black plum | dehydrated aronia berry
fruit character: overripe & dehydrated

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth 
__spice: peppercorn | cloves
__oak: roasted oakwood | charred wood | tobacco
__earth: pencil lead | black soil dust | charcoal
primary layer: fruit & oak

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

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

//Scoring
DOMENIILE SCUTELNIC | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2020
variety: cabernet sauvignon
country: Moldova
region: Codru
rating: 92.1

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink in 2 or 3 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
_________________________________________________________________________

This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 92.1 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 crisp, seedy and slightly heady cabernet sauvignon wine with a fruity-oaky nose and a youthful palate. It is still in its development phase, therefore we would strongly recommend to age it for another 2 or 3 years, in order to allow the wine to develop further complexity and settle down its youthfulness. On the nose the wine displays overripe and dehydrated black fruits, mixed with some nuanced oaky notes in the foreground, followed by an appealingly-spicy background and a very subtle, earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, firm and seedy tannins and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth, that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a crisp and hot aftertaste. All in all this is a quite grippy cabernet sauvignon wine that in its current state lacks harmony and finesse on the palate, mostly due to its youthfulness. We would recommend to pair this wine with spicy or grilled meats, like for example tomahawk steak a T-bone steak. Cheers!

_________________________________________________________________________
© 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.