A tasting of selected Dealu Mare (Muntenia, Romania) Feteascǎ Neagrǎ wines

I began the discussion of the Dealu Mare Feteascǎ Neagrǎ (FN) Masterclass by describing both the region and the variety. I will now turn to the wines and the tasting.

The tasting was organized by the Winelovers Romania team for the mutual benefit of participants in the #winelovers 14th Anniversary Celebration and willing Dealu Mare producers who would not, due to timing issues, be visited by the celebrants. The intent was to showcase these producers' instances of the region's most famous native variety.

The Wines

A total of eight Feteascǎ Neagrǎ wines were included in the tasting. In order:

• Crama de Pietra Poama Feti Negri 2023
• Crama Ferdi Lady Black Limited Edition 2024
• Villa Metamorfosis Cantvs Primvs 2023
• Lacerta Feteascǎ Neagrǎ Limited Edition 2020
• Crama De Matei Patima Feteascǎ Neagrǎ Single Vineyard 2021
• Davino Purpura Valahica 2021
• Lartist de Gabi Lacureanu 2020
• Crama SERVE Cuvée Guy de Poix 2012.

Seven of the eight wines fit the bill of "producers not visited." We had visited Crama di Pietra earlier in the day but had not had the opportunity to taste the Poama Feti Negri. Some botles were secured and included in this tasting.

The below map shows the approximate location in the Dealu Mare region where the grapes were grown and the wines made. The map also provides information on the producers and the wines. 

At this time I would like to revisit an observation I have made previously. The information showed on the map above was gleaned from winery websites but Romanian winery websites are, for the majority that I have seen, not up to international standards when it comes to information curation and dissemination. The information that I have encountered is, in most cases, poor in quantity and quality. In my opinion, a winery website should provide information on the estate's physical and built environments, viticultural and vinicultural practices, and, if possible, plot maps by variety. Romanian winery websites tend to be rich in language and poor in wine substance.

The Tasting

The tasting was led by Liviu Gheorge --- WSET Diploma in Wine and Spirits and Level 2 in Beer -- and Iulian Grigorescu. These gentlemen detailed how the tasting would proceed, introduced the wines, and poured the wines for the tasting team.

Iulian Grigorescu and Liviu Gheorge

Tasting Group

Ana Crudu and Luiz Alberto

The first wine tasted was the Crama de Pietra Poama Feti Negri 2023. Crama di Pietra is an 8-year-old boutique winery with 20- to 45-year-old vines in its portfolio. This wine spent 14 months on Romanian oak.

On the nose, sweet black fruit, blue fruit, sage, lychee character, and baking spices. Perfumed. On the palate, bright acidity, richness, spice, creaminess, mineral. Persistence.

The Crama Ferdi Lady Black Ltd Ed 2024 is the product of a limited-intervention winemaking environment and spent 14 months in oak. Complex nose to include sweet sage aromas, fudge, and coal tar. Leaner on the palate than the previous wine. Sour cherry, grippy tannins, bitter note, and a long, black-fruit finish.

Villa Metamorfosis is a part of the Antinori Group and draws on 9.5 ha of organically farmed Feteascǎ Neagrǎ vines for its FN wines. The nose on the Cantvs Primvs 2023 was affected by the wine being poured into a glass which had just hosted a corked wine. Sour cherry on the palate and not as rich as the preceding wines. Deep, dense black fruit, tar, minerality and persistence accompanying smooth, silky tannins.

The Lacerta FN spends 12 months in French, American, and Romanian oak barrels. The 2020 FN was rich on the nose and complex. Rich on the palate with muted acidity. Tomato character and bitterness. Persistence. 

The Crama De Matei Patima FN Single Vineyard 2021 is sourced from a single vineyard of 40-year-old vines. Saline, acetone, and dried bark on the nose. Sweet, medicinal, and liturgical on the palate. Not my favorite of the wines tasted so far.

I had previously tasted a Davino FN blend (Flamboyant) and was singularly impressed by the quality of the material presented on the website and the quality of the wine. The Purpura Vahilica 2021 was more of the same. This 100% FN wine was vinified in small stainless steel tanks and aged in second-passage Romanian oak barriques for 9 months and bottle for an additional 12 months.

Complex, sweet-fruit nose. Power on the palate with dark fruit and pepper. Persistent with a long finish. Elegant wine.

The Lartist 2020 is sourced from 35-year-old vines, according to the literature, but while I found the name of the winemaker, I could not find an associated estate. This leads me to think that the wine is produced by a negociant. 

Tar, rubber, sweet, fresh blue fruit, and a lille bit of VA on the nose. VA on the palate also. Sour cherry character, akin to Messorio's Paleo. Short finish.

The final wine tasted was a magnum of 2020 Crama SERVE Cuvée Guy de Poix. This wine was donated to the tasting by Liviu who had himself received it as a present  from the wife of the founder on him securing his WSET Diploma accreditation.

The wine is named after one of the founders of the winery and has been aged in barrel for between 3 and 18 months and in bottle for 5 years.

Truffles on the nose along with hints of oxidation and VA. Coal and baking spices on the palate. Somewhat porty.

The lineup

The Masterclass was revealing, from my perspective, in that it surfaced three separate styles of this variety in the marketplace: A thick, rich style that brings to mind Opus 1 (not unpleasant, by any stretch of the imagination); a leaner, more food-friendly style; and a style which, to me, is reminiscent of the Messorio Paleo Cabernet Franc (a Tuscan wine). With a few exceptions, the wines showed beautifully. This is a variety that has the potential to be a major player on the world stage.

At the conclusion of the Masterclass Karin showed a video of tributes from fellow #winelovers to the late Razvan Stonescu, organizer and host of this particular trip. At the conclusion of the video, Karin presented an Award of Appreciation to Razvan.

*Note: Pictures without captions were sourced from a community Whats App chat.

#MagicalDealuMare26

#WineloverAnniversary14

wineloverromania2026

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Masterclass of selected Dealu Mare (Muntenia, Romania) Feteascǎ Neagrǎ wines: The region and the variety

The #Winelover Group chose Romania as the venue for its 14th Anniversary Celebration and the single strongest, most organized community in the group -- Romania Winelovers -- made the arrangements that ensured the highest degree of success for the event. Under the leadership of the late Razvan Stonescu, this group put together a stellar program focused on the region and wines of Dealu Mare, one of the most-celebrated of the Romanian wine regions. 

And like Pheidippides -- who, after the victory at Marathon, undertook the run to share the news with the people of Athens -- Razvan left us at his high point. I intend to honor Razvan and his team, and the producers who shared their time with us, by reporting as extensively as possible on our experiences during the course of the celebration. 

The late Razvan Stonescu and his indomitable
spouse (Source: Iulian Grigorescu)

One of the events that was organized was a tasting of Feteascǎ Neagrǎ wines from Dealu Mare producers that we would not be able to visit during our time there. I will report on the wines and the tasting but begin herein with a description of the physical characteristics of the Dealu Mare wine region and a briefing on the variety.

The Dealu Mare Wine Region

The chart below is a representation of the region.

The chart shows the region extending over two political jurisdictions (Prahova and Buzāu) and having eight sub-regions. The physical dimensions are shown in the blue oblong. The grape growers -- along with their approximate physical locations -- are identified on the chart.

Based on archaeological evidence, grapes have been grown in the Dealu Mare region deep in prehistory. The first written reference to grapes and wines of the region can be traced back to the 14th and 15th centuries.

According to SERVE, Dealu Mare is one of the warmest wine-growing regions in Romania with a prominent continental influence characterized by:

• hot, dry summers
• long autumns
• Short, cold winters
• Day-night temperature differences which allow sugar accumulation without significant acid loss.
  

The vineyards are protected from cold winds emanating from the north, northeast, and northwest by the Carpathian Hills. During winter, temperatures are 3 degrees C higher in the Hills than on the Plains.

The chart below spells out the distribution of soils across the region.

The dominant soils are clayey-calcareous with marl, löess and gravel inclusions. These soils provide good drainage and balanced water-retention capacity, characteristics that are essential for successful cultivation of the Feteascǎ Neagrä variety (SERVE).

Feteascǎ Neagrǎ Variety

Feteascǎ Neagrǎ (translates to Black Maiden) is a thick-skinned, dark-purple grape variety which is believed to have originated in historic Moldavia but is today broadly planted in Romania with over 3400 ha of vineyard land dedicated to its support. Synonyms for the variety include: Schwarze Madchentraube, Poama Fata nera, Pasǎreascǎ nera, Coada radunicii, Fetyaska (Azerbaijan), Fetiaska neagra (Serbia) Fekete léanuke (Hungary), and Fetaska neagra (Bulgaria).

The variety is recognizable by its compact, cylindrical-spherical clusters; medium-to-large spherical berries; and dark purple skin. It is a late-ripener and, over a long growing season, can accumulate high sugar levels -- 230 to 240 g/l -- while retaining high levels of acidity.

The vine is vigorous but has low productivity -- on the order of 30%. It is resistant to frost, drought, and rot but is extremely susceptible to powdery mildew. Strategies employed to combat the threat include directing shoots and aerating rows. Roses are planted at the end of rows as an early warning system.

The soil types described in the section above are essential for Feteascǎ Neagrǎ cultivation (SERVE):

• The variety is sensitive to excess production and canopy humidity
• The wines cam become diluted in compact or overly fertile soils
• Concentrates polyphenols and develops a solid tannin structure in well-drained soils.

One of the key characteristics of the variety is its "plasticity." "It does not impose a uniform identity, but amplifies that of its place." While the generic profile is of a balanced, medium-to-full-bodied wine with fine tannins and aromas and flavors of plums, blackberries, blueberries, vanilla and coffee, "Banat carries a freshness that southern Mutenian examples rarely achieve ... Transylvania ... Feateascǎ Neagrǎ produces wines with livelier acidity and more clearly defined fruit."

Feteascǎ Neagrǎ requires (SERVE):

• Maturity of the plantation
• Strict yield control
• Careful canopy management
• Precise interventions at key moments of the season.

"In favorable years, Feteascǎ Neagrǎ from Dealu Mare develops high color density, structure, and real aging potential."

I will next turn to the producers and the wines.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme