Purcari Cabernet Sauvignon (75cl, 14%)

A red wine made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Moldova's Ștefan Vodă region, from Château Purcari. The grapes are hand-harvested and carefully selected, then aged for six months in French oak barriques. The estate's soils are rich in rubidium, and the proximity of the Dniester River and the Black Sea creates a moderating microclimate. The glass opens with concentrated blackcurrant and ripe black cherry, with tobacco leaf, subtle exotic spice, vanilla and toasty oak. The entry is full and generous, with blackberry and ripe plum, then chocolate, vanilla and raisin-like dried-fruit sweetness. Tannins are smooth and well-integrated, with dark spice tying fruit and oak together. The finish is long and refined, with soft tannins and lingering blackcurrant, tobacco and faint cocoa bitterness.