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Novak
White Label Copceac
2022
3.8
Region
Moldova › Valul lui Traian
Type
red · still
Grapes
Copceac
Alcohol
13.5%
Volume
750 mL
Tasting Notes(1)
3.8
The nose is greeted with a flavorful handshake of plumes, dried cherry, smoke, white pepper and a dash of chocolate, followed by a friendly nod from blueberry and mulberry. It's a delightful bouquet, devoid of pretension. On the palate, it's a smooth talker with good tannin and a nice hit of acidity, showing a delicate side that's quite charming. For a Moldovan bottle, it's breaking some molds here - fresh, juicy, and slides down easy. I would enjoy running into another bottle of Copceac again.
About
⚠️ Much of the narrative presented here is derived from insights shared by Dmitry Grachov, based on his conversations with Andrei Novak.
Born in the sixties, Copceac is a variety hailing from the Bessarabian region. Initially cultivated modestly in Southern Moldova and Odesa, it held its presence mainly at Moldova's Institute of Ampelography and Tairov's Institute of Winemaking. The legend surrounding this grape is as intriguing as the wine it produces. In 2018, at the National Grape Institute's nursery in the Chișinău region, a fire nearly wiped out the existence of this grape. Miraculously, amidst the potential housing construction area where the nursery lay, a lone enthusiast discovered a single bush untouched by the flames. From it, 30 tiny buds were painstakingly extracted and grafted onto a one-year-old vine. Against all odds, Copceac survived.
Andrei Novak, having made a splash with Alb de Oniţcani and inspired by the intrigue of indigenous varieties, collaborated with this enthusiast. Engaging in selective planting, he integrated 10-15 plots of Copceac vines annually. By 2022, Novak's vineyards boasted half a hectare of this variety, further expanding to 1 hectare in 2023.
Novak's winemaking approach to the Copceac 2022 is a testament to its unique journey. Before fermentation, the must was allowed to rest on the grape skins at low temperatures for four days. After completing both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, the wine was then matured in oak barrels sourced from France, the United States, and the Carpathians. Three months later, the wine was drawn off. In June 2023, this batch, encapsulating the essence of the Novak series, was bottled, resulting in a total of 1,780 bottles. Another five barrels will continue their aging process for a year, destined for the exclusive black series.
