TARABOSTE | Pur Aristocratic | 2021
chardonnay

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Today we are going to review a single varietal chardonnay wine that comes from the relatively cool, Codru region of Moldova – Taraboste Pur Aristocratic 2021 by Château Vartely. Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grape varieties, regarded by many as the ‘Queen of Whites‘ and it is prized for its flexibility and for the ability to produce top-notch wines in a wide range of climates and terroirs. Stylistically, there are two main types of chardonnay wines: on one hand we have the classic, creamy and rich, oak-aged style, that is backed up by winemakers in Napa Valley and most of the Grand Cru in Bourgogne, whereas on the other hand there’s the crisp, zingy and citrusy, unoaked style, that is mainly promoted by the new-world producers and most of the winemakers in the Chablis region. This particular wine is from the first category: a chardonnay wine that has been fermented and aged in new oak barrels, which means that the wine went through the malolactic conversion – a process where the crisp, malic acid in the wine is converted into a more softer, lactic acid, thus the wine becomes less tart and more silky, gaining more structure and finesse, thus rounding up its palate. Afterwards the wine spent 8 months on fine lees (sur lie ageing) in those oak barrels. 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: pale straw-yellow color
clarity: clear pastel-yellow hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & elegant
fruit profile: sweet fruits | citrus fruits
__sweet fruits: white apple | asian pear
__citrus fruits: lemon | pomelo
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral–herbal & oaky
__floral: acacia blossom | marguerite daisy | daffodil
__herbal: hay | straw grass | meadow
__oaky: vanilla | butter | cloves
primary layer: oak & wild flowers

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

//Taste
fruit profile: sweet fruits & citrus
fruit character: underripe & ripe
non fruit: oak & wild flowers
finish: medium
aftertaste: crisp & hot

//Scoring
TARABOSTE | Pur Aristocratic | 2021
variety: chardonnay
country: Moldova
region: Codru | Jora de Mijloc
rating: 92.6

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or within the next 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 92.6 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, slightly green but round chardonnay wine that feels well structured and complex, with a nuanced oaky-herbal accent on the nose and a plump, maybe just a bit opulent palate. The wine is still in its development phase, therefore we would recommend to drink it either today or in the next 2 or 3 years, just make sure you don’t miss the wine’s apogée, as it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine showcases a mixture of ripe and overripe sweet fruits and some nuanced oaky notes in the foreground, followed by notes of citrus fruits, wild flowers and herbs in the background. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, some phenolic bitterness and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves into a crisp and hot aftertaste. All in all, this a supple, noble and nicely balanced chardonnay wine, that lacks maybe just a bit of elegance and finesse on the palate. We believe it will pair lovely with crispy seafood dishes, like for example pan fried mahi mahi fillets or oven baked salmon fillets. Enjoy!

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