TE WĀ WINES | Chardonnay | 2021
chardonnay

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Today we are going to review a single varietal chardonnay wine that comes from the famous Stefan-Voda region in the south of Moldova – Chardonnay 2021 by Te Wā Wines. 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 promoted by the new-world producers and most of the winemakers in the Chablis region. This specific wine is a bit of both, mainly focused on the varietal characteristics of the chardonnay grape variety, while also enhanced by a bit of oak ageing, in order to gain more structure and complexity. Te Wā Wines (Te Wā means ‘time will tell‘ in Maori) is a wine project that has been initiated by two wine enthusiasts, whose aim was to create limited edition wines capable to deliver the very best of Moldova’s terroir. 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: bright greenish hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & expressive
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits
__green fruits: green pear | asian pear | white apple
__citrus fruits: lime | green grapefruit | bergamot
__fruit candies: pear candy | lemon candy
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: herbal | other
__herbal: currant leaf | peppermint
__other: menthol candy
primary layer: fruit & candy

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

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits & citrus
fruit character: underripe
non fruit: candy & herbal
finish: medium
aftertaste: hot & crisp

//Scoring
TE WĀ WINES | Chardonnay | 2021
variety: chardonnay
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 91.8

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or within 2 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and with a total of 91.8 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 fine chardonnay wine that is vinified in a clear-cut, new-world style: crisp, zesty and a slightly green, with a nuanced fruity-citrusy profile on the nose and a slightly rough and angular palate. The wine is still in its development phase, therefore we would recommend to drink it today or within the next 2 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 green fruits, citrus and fruits candy in the foreground, supported by a nuanced herbaceous background. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, some phenolic bitterness and an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a hot and crisp aftertaste. All in all, this a zingy and refreshing chardonnay wine, that in its current state lacks harmony and finesse on the palate – a wine that lacks varietal typicity, as it would be difficult to identify the chardonnay in the glass on a blind tasting night. We believe this wine will pair nicely with crispy seafood dishes, like for example pan fried mahi mahi fillets or salmon ceviche with bergamot and toasted pine nuts. 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.