Codru

Codru is a place before it is a wine: the forested hills of central Moldova, which also give their name to a protected geographical indication. At Mileștii Mici it is a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. For the 2009 and the 2017 the house gives the split as three quarters Cabernet Sauvignon to one quarter Merlot.

The 1987 belongs to the Golden Collection. The house describes those wines as matured first in oak, then bottled and laid down in the galleries for at least three years. Each bottle carries its harvest year, its bottling year and its own number, so two bottles of the same 1987 can have spent different years in glass.

The collection lies 80 metres down, at a constant 12 to 14 degrees. Its bottles may carry a natural limy deposit, a sign of long storage. The house advises opening the wine an hour before serving.

One harvest, numbered a bottle at a time.