Wine Review: Domaine Bessa Valley Enira 2010

It's the Fifth Annual Bulgarian Wine Month thanks to BulgarianWine.com! You can read all of the content and reviews from Bulgarian Wine Month under the Bulgaria label.

To read about the fascinating history of Bulgarian wine, check out Bulgaria - Part 1: Three-Thousand Years of Wine History. To learn about the grapes, wine regions and Bulgarian wine's place in the market, read Part 2: The Current State of Bulgarian Wine. And if you'd like to see what Bulgaria's national drink is all about, find out in Part 3: Invincibility of Rakia.

BESSA VALLEY

The Bessi were a tribe of Thracians and the Bessa Valley within the Thracian Valley of the Thracian Lowlands is their namesake. Bessa Valley Winery was founded in 2001 when 800 properties were purchased for its creation. German Count Stephan von Neipperg, owner of Bordeaux's Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere and La Mondotte, assists with the winery's production. The Count wanted to be a part of bringing quality wine back to Bulgaria. He's quoted as saying "I’ve chosen Bulgaria because of the magnificent terroir. With Enira we revive the image of the Bulgarian wines worldwide."

I've got three wines by Domain Bessa Valley lined up to finish off Bulgarian Wine Month! I started with their Petit Enira 2011, then I had their Enira 2009, and now I'm sweeping up with their Enira 2010.

The Enira 2010 is 50% Syrah, 40% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot. So it's just a little less complicated of a blend than the 2009 vintage. and gone from a Merlot based blend to a Syrah based blend in just one year. First selection is handpicked on the vineyard, then carefully selected again on sorting tables. Rather than crushing the grapes, juice is drained by gravity / the weight of the grapes. Cold maceration of whole berries is performed from 5 to 8 days at 14 – 16 C. Alcohol fermentation with addition of selected yeast strains is controlled at 26-28 C during 8-10 days, in order to reach 3-4 g/l residual sugar, followed by maceration from 5 to 8 days in concrete tanks. Malolactic fermentation continues in the tanks, then aging for about 12 months in oak barrels.

For wine bloggers that review wines the ultimate nightmare is a faulty bottle, which is usually why we prefer two samples per item. I publish full reviews every Thursday and Sunday (except for the Sundays when I post a monthly article), and then post quickies all over the place. Everything is carefully scheduled sometimes months in advance, depending on demand. But I usually write the two reviews for the next week on a Wednesday night, giving me plenty of time before they're published, just in case of a faulty bottle situation or a family emergency or anything else pops up. That way I have enough time to make it up or can fill it in with a  replacement.

Well that nightmare almost became reality tonight. This cork crumbled. Hard. Just look at the mess that was made when all was said and done and I had access to the liquid inside. It fell apart like it was nothing each time I twisted the screw in there and tried to pull it out. That is not a good sign.

But surprisingly what I found was a beautifully raisinated juice bomb not so different from the 2009 vintage, only with more body and more oomph. Raspberry liqueur. Cinnamon sugar. Cherries, mint, and chocolate. The same exact profile; only it has more gusto in character and astringency in tannin than it's predecessor, which was more lush and elegant.

This bad boy is a boss. For $26 I would pick it over a Valpolicella at the same price, but for the discounted price of $19 on BulgarianWine.com it's a goddamn steal. Get it now: https://bulgarianwine.com/wines/enira-2010/

This wraps up another Bulgarian wine month and, as always, it was a lot of fun filled with excellent wines! Thank you, Vance!

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $19

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.