A new range of wines comes from Dobrogea: Caii de la Letea Princeps
This spring I noticed the appearance of a new range of wines at the wine fairs: Caii de la Letea Princeps.
If you have heard of Caii de la Letea Volumul I, Caii de la Letea Volumul II and even of Caii de la Letea Geneza range (the range you can find exclusively at Carrefour), today I want to tell you a little about the Caii de la Letea Princeps, a range about which it is possible to hear about for the first time.
This new range includes 7 wines signed by "Caii de la Letea" winery (you may know the winery with its previous name, Viaviticola Sarica Niculițel) located in Dobrogea and includes wines obtained from winery's best plantations. Of the 7 wines, I had the opportunity to try 4: Sauvignon Blanc Fume, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon & Fetească Neagră and Quintessence Reserva, so today I come with some personal impressions and tasting notes.
Unlike the Caii de la Letea Volumul II range that I have tried in its entirety over time, Caii de la Letea Princeps range has a wine made from Chardonnay grapes, so this was the first wine I tried from this range.
Caii de la Letea Princeps Chardonnay 2020
The wine has a lemon yellow color and the intensity of the aromas is pronounced. I found aromas of peaches, apricots, pineapple, peach pits, mango, melon, the last mentioned aromas reminding me of a warm area, just like Dobrogea. The primary aromas of fruit were complemented by some butter, vanilla, toast, fresh pastry and a little smoke.
Taste: the wine is dry, with high acidity, 13,5% alcohol, aromas such as mango, melon and peach, as well as those of toast and biscuits. The wine has medium + body, long aftertaste and was enjoyed at 12° - 14° Celsius. When the wine reached 14° C standing in the glass, I felt it more expressive from the aromatic point of view.
French oak barrels were used for maturation, which gives it a complex note (toast).
Caii de la Letea Princeps Sauvignon Blanc Fume 2020
I have tried this wine from Volumul II range 2 years in a row (and in one of the years I included it in several wine tastings, in one of which it was the favorite wine of everyone who participated in that white wine tasting) so I was very curious about the one from the Princeps range, a Sauvignon Blanc from the 2020 harvest.
The wine has a lemon-yellow color, citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit) and acacia flowers predominate in the smell. This combination of fruity and floral aromas seems to me to give a particular freshness to the wine and the maturation in French oak barrels adds a new level of complexity: a little vanilla, a little smoke.
The wine has 12.5% alcohol and I found it suitable to be enjoyed as such, but also with food, it opens the appetite at the beginning of a meal.
Caii de la Letea Princeps Cabernet Sauvignon & Fetească Neagră 2020
Bright ruby red, this wine is distinguished by the pronounced aromas of very ripe black fruits (blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries), smoked plums, plum jam, sour cherries and overripe black cherries.
The taste revealed the same aromas as in the smell with the mention that the focus was not on fresh fruit but rather on overripe fruit and even dried fruit, a sign that told me that the year 2020 must have been very warm and that at the same time the wine has started to develop tertiary aromas: chocolate and a little coffee. In the taste I also felt notes of spices (nutmeg, cinnamon).
The wine is dry, with 14% alcohol well integrated. I served the wine on a slightly cooler evening so I could enjoy the flavors at a leisurely pace. The wine was served at 16° Celsius.
Caii de la Letea Quintessence Reserva
I was most curious about this wine, knowing the Quintessence Reserva variant from Volumul II range (the wine that was most present in my tastings in the last 2 years and that also received the most feedback over time, being preferred by many people I met).
With a dark ruby color and medium intensity in terms of smell, this wine is distinguished by the multitude of aromas of sour cherries, blackberries, blackcurrants, cranberries, plums, blueberries, complemented by a little vanilla, black pepper, cinnamon, smoke and chocolate.
In the taste, the aromas of sour cherries, smoked prunes, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, coffee, smoke and toast stand out, a sign that the wine has been matured for a period in oak barrels.
The wine is made from 5 varieties of grapes, Fetească Neagră, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, from different years and the percentage of each type of grape remains the secret of the winemaker.
Have you tried the new Caii range from Letea Princeps?
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday.ro & Winesday App
If you have heard of Caii de la Letea Volumul I, Caii de la Letea Volumul II and even of Caii de la Letea Geneza range (the range you can find exclusively at Carrefour), today I want to tell you a little about the Caii de la Letea Princeps, a range about which it is possible to hear about for the first time.
This new range includes 7 wines signed by "Caii de la Letea" winery (you may know the winery with its previous name, Viaviticola Sarica Niculițel) located in Dobrogea and includes wines obtained from winery's best plantations. Of the 7 wines, I had the opportunity to try 4: Sauvignon Blanc Fume, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon & Fetească Neagră and Quintessence Reserva, so today I come with some personal impressions and tasting notes.
Unlike the Caii de la Letea Volumul II range that I have tried in its entirety over time, Caii de la Letea Princeps range has a wine made from Chardonnay grapes, so this was the first wine I tried from this range.
Caii de la Letea Princeps Chardonnay 2020
The wine has a lemon yellow color and the intensity of the aromas is pronounced. I found aromas of peaches, apricots, pineapple, peach pits, mango, melon, the last mentioned aromas reminding me of a warm area, just like Dobrogea. The primary aromas of fruit were complemented by some butter, vanilla, toast, fresh pastry and a little smoke.
Taste: the wine is dry, with high acidity, 13,5% alcohol, aromas such as mango, melon and peach, as well as those of toast and biscuits. The wine has medium + body, long aftertaste and was enjoyed at 12° - 14° Celsius. When the wine reached 14° C standing in the glass, I felt it more expressive from the aromatic point of view.
French oak barrels were used for maturation, which gives it a complex note (toast).
Caii de la Letea Princeps Sauvignon Blanc Fume 2020
I have tried this wine from Volumul II range 2 years in a row (and in one of the years I included it in several wine tastings, in one of which it was the favorite wine of everyone who participated in that white wine tasting) so I was very curious about the one from the Princeps range, a Sauvignon Blanc from the 2020 harvest.
The wine has a lemon-yellow color, citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit) and acacia flowers predominate in the smell. This combination of fruity and floral aromas seems to me to give a particular freshness to the wine and the maturation in French oak barrels adds a new level of complexity: a little vanilla, a little smoke.
The wine has 12.5% alcohol and I found it suitable to be enjoyed as such, but also with food, it opens the appetite at the beginning of a meal.
Caii de la Letea Princeps Cabernet Sauvignon & Fetească Neagră 2020
Bright ruby red, this wine is distinguished by the pronounced aromas of very ripe black fruits (blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries), smoked plums, plum jam, sour cherries and overripe black cherries.
The taste revealed the same aromas as in the smell with the mention that the focus was not on fresh fruit but rather on overripe fruit and even dried fruit, a sign that told me that the year 2020 must have been very warm and that at the same time the wine has started to develop tertiary aromas: chocolate and a little coffee. In the taste I also felt notes of spices (nutmeg, cinnamon).
The wine is dry, with 14% alcohol well integrated. I served the wine on a slightly cooler evening so I could enjoy the flavors at a leisurely pace. The wine was served at 16° Celsius.
Caii de la Letea Quintessence Reserva
I was most curious about this wine, knowing the Quintessence Reserva variant from Volumul II range (the wine that was most present in my tastings in the last 2 years and that also received the most feedback over time, being preferred by many people I met).
With a dark ruby color and medium intensity in terms of smell, this wine is distinguished by the multitude of aromas of sour cherries, blackberries, blackcurrants, cranberries, plums, blueberries, complemented by a little vanilla, black pepper, cinnamon, smoke and chocolate.
In the taste, the aromas of sour cherries, smoked prunes, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, coffee, smoke and toast stand out, a sign that the wine has been matured for a period in oak barrels.
The wine is made from 5 varieties of grapes, Fetească Neagră, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, from different years and the percentage of each type of grape remains the secret of the winemaker.
Have you tried the new Caii range from Letea Princeps?
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday.ro & Winesday App
