This is a wine made from Mavrud grapes grown in a cooler climate. Elenovo, a village in Sliven province, just south of the Balkan Mountains, enjoys a continental climate, quite distinctive from the hotter parts of Thracian Valley where this grape variety thrives [“Geography,” n.d.]. A range of wine styles produced by Edoardo Miroglio seems to support the idea that vineyards in Elenovo benefit from a cooler climate. Sparkling wines made in the Classical Method and the estate’s Pinot Noir wines are good examples [“Our Wines,” n.d.]. Pinot Noir, used by Edoardo Miroglio in both sparkling and still wines, is a grape variety that simply does not like hot climates [Wine & Spirit Education Trust, 2014]. The variety cohabitates with Mavrud vineyards on the company’s premises in Elenovo.

To emphasise the distinguished character of Edoardo Miroglio’s bottling, here is a brief profile of Mavrud grape variety. Late ripening, it does best in regions with long, warm autumns [Keevil et al., 2009/2010]. Although the area covered with Mavrud vineyards is growing throughout Bulgaria, this grape variety’s classico zone is Asenovgrad, in Plovdiv region [“Mavrud,” n.d.].

Tasting Notes

Inky colour. Really opaque, though bricky notes are visible. Black fruits come forth powerfully, but cedar and smoke remind of oak ageing. Complexity is also given by animal nuances – meaty, leather – and tobacco. Fruit aromas are quite diverse, as fresh blackberry and blueberry come along with stewed fruits and even red fruits – red currant and cherry. The whole is mixed up with black pepper tones, which are quite pungent. The palate is somewhat drier than the olfactory impression could predict, but flavours eventually continue the experience, and the finish is very, very long. Structurally, the wine has a solid backbone, with high acidity, relatively high tannins, not really softened by its seven year-age, and a body slightly above medium.

Mavrud seems to be capable of an explosion of fruit, to which high acidity and tannins add.

Rating:

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