My coverage of the wineries visited during our #winelovers 14th Anniversary Celebration in Dealu Mare will not follow any specific order. That being said, I relate our visit to Domeniul Aristite (English translation Aristite's Domain) in this post.
We arrived at the estate a little after 10:00 am and were introduced to our host for the visit, the winemaker Tudor Cristian. We met Tudor in the courtyard and he immediately launched into the story of the estate.
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| Tudor flanked by Karin and Iulian |
The estate is located in Valea Cǎlugǎreascǎ in Nicovam Village (Later on in our conversation Tudor talked about Valea Nicovani having been a part of the town since the 15th century and having a grape growing and winemaking tradition that stretches even further back.).
The estate had historically belonged to the Bijou family but was expropriated by the authorities in 1947. It was returned to the family heirs in 1989 and they, in turn, sold it to Bianca Ionitǎ who named her purchase in honor of her mother Adina Aristita Ionitǎ.
The estate had historically belonged to the Bijou family but was expropriated by the authorities in 1947. It was returned to the family heirs in 1989 and they, in turn, sold it to Bianca Ionitǎ who named her purchase in honor of her mother Adina Aristita Ionitǎ.
The current estate is comprised of 4 ha of vineyards -- planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Feteǎsca Neagrǎ, and Cabernet Sauvignon -- and a boutique winery with production capacity of 100,000 liters.
©Wine -- Mise en abyme
Our next stop was at the receiving area. Grapes are hand-selected and destemmed here prior to transit into the cellar for traditional red and white wine fermentation.
After a tour of the cellar, we repaired to the tasting/dining room for snacks and tasting of three wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, and Feteǎsca Neagrǎ.
The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc was yellow-green in color and showed sweet white fruit, lime, a sage-lychee-gewurtz note, and minerality on the nose. High acidity along with lime, salinity, a bitter character and clayey minerality on the palate. Peppery, mineral finish. These notes are not characteristic of a cold-weather Sauvignon Blanc.
The 2024 Rosé is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with approximately 2 hours of skin contact. Sweet red fruit on the nose along with a creaminess, mint and spice. I felt that it was too sweet on the attack for a high-quality Rosé. Mineral with a drying sensation at the end.
The 2023 Feteǎsca Neagrǎ soent 14 months in Romanian oak barrels. Black licorice, smoke, and tomato on the nose. High-toned. Juicy black fruit, plums, red pepper, and minerality on the palate. Great acidity.
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| #Winelovers with Tudor |
This visit started slowly but increased in intensity over time as the winemaker became more comfortable in his shoes. I especially like the Feteǎsca Neagrǎ, a variety which blipped on my radar at the Wine With Me tasting.
#MagicalDealuMare26
#WineloverAnniversary14
wineloverromania2026
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