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Galicia Mare Tămâioasă Românească 2016

Galicia Mare Tămâioasă Românească 2016

On the day we visited Galicia Mare, the winery still under construction, it was frigidly cold-wind whipped, we huddled around a table just inside the barrel aging room, the doors left open the afternoon sunlight to filter in. It was difficult to taste at these temperatures, this bottle-Tămâioasă Românească or Romanian Muscatel, glinted pale gold […]

Vinarte Castel Bolovanu Soare Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Vinarte Castel Bolovanu Soare Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Another local wine from my recent trip through Romania’s picturesque countryside. This modern Cabernet Sauvignon from Vinarte Castel Bolovanu (it took some digging to figure out the actual producer) is fully-loaded. Chocked full of plums and vine-ripened blackberries, it’s fresh, plump and round on the palate with high levels of cedar-tinged tannins and acidity. A […]

Lacerta Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Lacerta Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

One of the wineries I had the pleasure of visiting on my recent whirlwind tour of Romania, Lacerta lies South of the Romanian Carpathians—on the day we visited, we drove through a light dusting of snow at higher altitudes to reach the estate. The wine itself, a powerhouse Cabernet heavily laden in aromas of plum […]

Petro Vaselo Kotys Blanc de Noirs 2012

Petro Vaselo Kotys Blanc de Noirs

This multidimensional, zero dosage sparkler from Petro Vaeselo winery is from an winery is the product of a substantial Italian investment in the Romania’s bucolic Recaș DOC. Composed of 100% Pinot Noir grown in clay soils banded in limestone, it spends three years en tirage. Alluring aromas of buttered scone, baked apple, and pear waft […]

Crama Aramic Piatra Soarelui Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Aramic Piatra Soarelui Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Tasted while visiting the producer in Transylvania’s fog-shrouded countryside. What I’m finding, generally is that Sauvignon Blanc really shines here—this producer is no exception. Lean and tensile, the 2016 Crama Aramic “Piatra Soarelui” or sunstone shows a classic profile of boxwood, gooseberries and lime zest and breezy alpine air. It’s fresh on the palate and […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com