All wines
Radacini
Méthode Traditionnelle Reserve Brut
2018
4.0
Region
Moldova › Valul lui Traian
Type
white · traditional · sparkling · brut
Grapes
Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir
Alcohol
12.5%
Volume
750 mL
Dosage
7 g/L
Disgorged
2024-09-24
On lees
>36 months
Tasting Notes(2)
4.0
Brioche, honey, almonds, baked pears, citrus, a touch of white flowers, and a jerez sherry-leaning thread that runs through both nose and palate. Vinous and intense, creamy, with baked apples, butter, quince, and a faint pithy bitterness like crushed apple seeds. Good acidity that the dosage covers a bit too much, smooth and silky on the texture. A tiny hint of gooseberry tropicality - not vulgar, but more than I'd want from this register. Tarte aux amandes. A favourite of the night despite the slight tropical lean.
About
The Reserve Brut is Radacini's limited-edition flagship - the small-batch top of the catalogue, priced at roughly 750 MDL, well above the Métier premium series at around 275 MDL. Chardonnay-led, with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier rounding it out in the Champagne triad, second-fermented in bottle and aged on the lees for over thirty-six months before disgorgement in September 2024.
The sparkling fruit comes primarily from Radacini's vineyards in Peresecina village in the Codru PGI - the source of the house's traditional-method line, where the Métier programme was first developed. Reserve takes that fruit base further: tighter selection from exceptional vintages, longer lees ageing, and partial barrel work on the base wine for parts of the blend.
Moldova's classic-grape sparkling has matured fast over the last decade - large modern facilities, well-understood viticulture, prices that sit well below Champagne. The Reserve Brut is the producer's argument for what the country can do at the top end.