Somma Pét-nat Riesling 2023
Ratings
This was a true discovery. I stumbled upon the wine by chance - and even had the chance to drink it with the winemaker, Eugene Sîrbu. While the winery is based in Ciumai (Valul lui Traian), the grapes come from their friends in Vorniceni (Codru). To avoid risking the fruit during transport, they bring in the juice rather than the grapes and complete the winemaking on site.
From what I gathered, cloudy wines don't sell well in Moldova, so they now disgorge before release - resulting in a fairly clean final product. No sulphur, low intervention.
And the result genuinely surprised me. The wine is filigree-like - subtle, with quiet strength and a sense of character, but no loud gestures. It's not rock'n'roll; it's more of a calm, deep resonance. Maybe I'm romanticising, but there's something of Eugene's personality in this bottle.
The nose is not intense, but clean and layered, with fine fruit, delicate yeasty tones, a hint of lemon-apple candy, and a touch of minerality. The acidity is sharp, the mousse is fine - it's almost hard to believe this is a pét-nat, especially from Moldova. Great fruit, long finish, juicy, super friendly, with a gentle bitterness at the end. Exceptionally well done.