One of Dealu Mare’s gems

“Scrie pe Vin2.ro” povești trăite de oameni care iubesc vinul. Astăzi îl avem invitat pe Gian Luca Garattoni. Italian din Bologna și carea a trăit ani buni în Finlanda, Gian Luca s-a stabilit de curând in Serbia, devenind un bun cunsoscator al vinurilor din Balcani, urmând să lanseze un blog de vinuri și călătorii. Este un activ membru al comunitații winelover și un bun prieten al vinurilor românești.

—-Budureasca was among the seven wineries we visited during the Dealu Mare’s wine tour 2018. It was a cold and damp November morning and the five of us: our guide Răzvan Stoenescu, Sharon Paraons, Nanci Bergamo, Luiz Alberto, me and Agnes Matthis-Teutsch,  who arrived from Sibiu at the big winery building, the biggest winemaking facility of the region. The person in charge of the all production was an Englishman, Stephen Donnelly.
—-As usual we began with a quick, but detailed, tour of the state of the art facilities. I was particularly impressed by the view from above of the barrel cellar, really a must if you visit Budureasa.
—-Then there was the tasting of several wines selected by Stephen, of course not the entire production since they release a large number of different labels. My favorite white was the Sauvignon Blanc 2017, high acidity, white currant and white flowers, the vegetal well present but not overwhelming, long mineral finish, pretty much Loire-style. Also great was the Fume Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay barrel fermented. Here you can find a Bordeaux style, if the pure Sauvignon Blanc was crisp and vibrant, here you could find balance and complexity.
—-The reds were, for my taste, even better.
—-The Pinot Noir 2015, was a good, fruit-driven wine, it could please those who love the typical Pinot aromas and there are many of them among the quality wine consumers.Feteasca Neagra 2015 was intriguing for its freshness and its spicy palate of both black and white pepper, mind you it was a hot vintage but I’ve always thought that in winemaking, on top of Physics and Chemistry, Alchemy plays also an important role.
—-Merlot 2015 had also a remarkable freshness, red cherry, earthy flavors, a vegetal touch, that lets imagine an evolution towards the  tobacco-tertiary. I think it will reach its best after two more years in bottle. I felt as I was teletransported to the Right Bank, Fronsac or Bourg.
—-The very top was the Noble 5, the “five”being Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir,Feteasca Neagra, Syraz, Merlot. The Syrah here was very expressive, with is notes of forest baies, blueberry, and raspberry mostly, the black pepper, the other variety gave a big complexity and structure (as it should be when the courage is made with perfect craftsmanship). It was still young, give it  three or four more years and you will have an awesome, world class red wine: a true Super Muntenian.
—-We also tasted a Tămâioasa Românească (aka White Muscat, Muscat Petits Grains, Tamjanika and I could go on and on), nice and elegant with good length, and an impressive Chardonnay 2012, again a hot summer, but Stephen managed to make a wine with a lot of freshness, which has aged beautifully, you could easily find a ripe yellow peach, yellow flower, a little bit of vanilla, a flinty finish: Southern Burgundy’s style and, I must admit, I’m a Pouilly-Fuisse lover. Lovely, just a bit simple, the “Noble” white (70% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Muscat Ottonel).
—- In conclusion: don’t be mislead by the size of their production (and their building): at Budureasca’s they make lots of wines with, borrowing an expression of my friend Luiz Alberto, “personality, that why we take with us for tasting more a bottle of Oro Manisa (blend of Tamaioasa Romaneasca and Chardonnay), – the Geto Dacian inspiration, representing the divine language, the golden spoken of the Gets gods.