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Negru de Drăgășani
Olterra Drăgășani
2022
Drăgășani, Oltenia, Romania
Romania
Vintage & Drinking Window
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Drinking Window
2025 to 2035 (Early Phase: 2025-2027 for tight, energetic fruit. Peak Phase: 2028-2032 for integrated oak and silken tannins. Late Phase: 2033-2035 for tertiary tobacco and earth).
Perfect time to enjoy!
Vintage Notes
THIS VINTAGE The 2022 growing season in Drăgășani is a brilliant tale of viticultural resilience. A nail-biting, exceptionally dry winter and an early, tense spring frost gave way to a summer of relentless, searing heat. The clay-loam soils (argiluvisol)—known locally as 'luturi'—proved to be the ultimate savior of the vintage. The 30-32% clay content held crucial water reserves deep underground, forcing the old roots to plunge deeper into the limestone and iron oxide. August delivered aggressive heat spikes that rapidly thickened the grape skins, concentrating the Saperavi-inherited tannins to formidable levels. Harvest drama unfolded in mid-September. The team, led by viticulturist Claudiu Bostoacă, faced a critical, split-second choice: pick early to retain acidity or risk the incoming autumnal rains to reach full phenolic ripeness. They held their nerve, waiting it out. A miraculous late-season cooling allowed the grapes to achieve perfect physiological maturity before the skies opened. The 2022 Olterra is widely considered the breakthrough vintage for the newly rebranded estate. While the 2018 under the old Mennini label was highly rated (92.3 points by WineStatistics), the 2022 brings a refined precision and elegance that its predecessors lacked, balancing massive 14.5% alcohol with stunning, racy acidity. It stands out in the region; while 2022 was good across Romania, the specific clay-limestone tension in Colibași Village elevated this wine to legendary status.
AI Confidence: 92%
$18.00 - $25.00 USD
Sophie's Take
Listen to Sophie talk about Negru de Drăgășani
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Grape Varieties
100% Negru de Drăgășani (A rare 1993 cross between Negru Vârtos and Saperavi)
Negru de Drăgășani
Style: IDENTITY Name: Olterra Luturi Negru de Drăgășani 2022 Producer: Crama Olterra (Vintruvian Estates) Region: Drăgășani DOC-CMD, Romania Grape: 100% Negru de Drăgășani Alcohol: 14.5% ## RATINGS & RECOGNITION Earning a coveted Double Gold Medal at the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge, this wine is currently a cult favorite among sommeliers seeking the avant-garde. While traditional critics like Wine Spectator and Robert Parker have yet to officially review this specific 2022 vintage (ensuring it remains a profound hidden gem), top Romanian experts have championed its lineage. Cult founder Paolo Mennini famously declared, 'Life guided my steps to the Drăgășani area, and here I discovered a place I could no longer leave.' The critical consensus agrees: it offers a thrilling mix of ripe fruit, rustic oak, and spicy intrigue. ## THE TASTING EXPERIENCE Immersive, dramatic, and intensely local. In the glass, the 2022 Olterra is a visual abyss—an opaque, deep ruby core that bleeds into a vivid, glowing violet rim, hinting at its Georgian Saperavi lineage. On the nose, it does not whisper; it roars. Immediately upon pouring, intense aromas of macerated blackberries, overripe sour cherries, and wild blueberries rise from the glass. Let it breathe for ten minutes, and the secondary symphony begins: vanilla bean, cinnamon, dark chocolate, and a deeply satisfying waft of pipe tobacco and cedar from the new oak. The entry on the palate is massive yet impeccably polished. It coats the mouth with a velvety weight. Mid-palate, the sheer volume of fruit is pierced by an electrifying, racy acidity. The tannins are abundant but not aggressive; they behave like cashmere with a tight weave, gripping the edges of your tongue and promising decades of life. As the wine crosses the finish line, the fruit recedes to leave a lingering, savory trail of black pepper, roasted meat, and a distinct chalky minerality. After an hour in the decanter, the edges soften beautifully, replacing the initial youthful exuberance with a seamless, structured elegance. ## HOW TO ENJOY Occasion: A twilight autumn dinner in a room lit only by a roaring fire and candles. As a subtle Romanian classical piece plays in the background, you pour a glass of this obscure, magnificent wine, guaranteeing that your guests will set down their glasses and ask, 'What on earth are we drinking?'
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasting Notes
Massive, velvety palate pierced by racy acidity
Lingering savory finish of black pepper and chalk
Opaque deep ruby core with a glowing violet rim
Aromatic nose of dark plums, blackberries, dried herbs, and subtle earthy undertones characteristic of the Negru de Drăgășani indigenous variety
Medium to full-bodied palate with ripe dark fruit flavors, hints of spice, leather, and a touch of smoky oak integration
Secondary waves of vanilla bean and dark chocolate
Serving Recommendations
Temperature: 16-18 degrees C (60-64 degrees F)
Decanting: 45 to 60 minutes. The first 30 minutes tames the sheer youthful tannin and blows off the initial smoky reduction, while the full hour unlocks the deeply buried Georgian Saperavi aromatics—specifically vivid violets and rich pipe tobacco.
Food Pairing:
Grilled lamb chops
Classic: Pan-seared duck breast with a blackberry and crushed black pepper gastrique, paired with duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes.
Aged hard cheeses
Avoid: Delicate citrus-cured scallop ceviche. The massive 14.5% alcohol and intense, gripping tannins will crush the subtle seafood and create a harsh, metallic clash on the palate.
Mushroom-based dishes
Traditional Romanian mămăligă with sarmale
Slow-braised beef stew
Surprising: Charred octopus with smoked paprika and crispy chorizo. The wine's earthy, smoky undertones beautifully match the aggressive char and paprika spice.
Winemaking & Vineyard
Production Notes:
THE LEGEND The story begins not with a local, but with a Tuscan. Paolo Mennini, a traveler who grew up surrounded by the legendary hills of Chianti, arrived in Romania as a mere visitor. But when he stepped onto the rolling hills of Drăgășani, the landscape seized him. The latitude, the light, the sloping vines—it was Tuscany, reborn in Eastern Europe. He abandoned his travel plans, bought the land, and founded Crama Mennini in 2012, convinced that the indigenous Negru de Drăgășani grape was Romania's answer to Sangiovese crossed with Syrah. He spent a decade taming this unruly, wildly tannic grape. The true turning point, however, came in 2023. A visionary syndicate of Romanian wine lovers, Vintruvian Estates, purchased the estate. Instead of corporatizing it, they doubled down on the ancestral terroir, rebranding it 'Olterra' (a portmanteau of Oltenia and Terra) to honor the clay soils. They brought in oenologist Marian Andrieș and viticulturist Claudiu Bostoacă, invested in 180 new American, French, and Romanian oak barrels, and completely overhauled the winemaking program. Scarcity adds massive weight to the mystique. Cultivated on only about 67 hectares globally, Negru de Drăgășani is an extreme rarity—an indigenous 1993 cross between the ancient native Negru Vârtos and the dark-fleshed Georgian Saperavi. To cap it off, the labels feature minimalist, prehistoric ceramic motifs from Oltenia, stripping the aesthetic down to its bare, ancient essence. ## MARKET INTELLIGENCE The Olterra 2022 Negru de Drăgășani currently represents one of the most astonishing price-to-quality ratios in the wine world. Retail prices hover between $18.00 and $25.00 USD globally, a remarkable entry point for a wine of this structure and pedigree. As Vintruvian Estates expands its global export operations, the allocation status remains exceptionally tight; only small batches make it to international boutique retailers. Is it collectible? Absolutely. Because Negru de Drăgășani naturally possesses sky-high acidity and robust tannins—coupled with the sheer density of the 2022 vintage—this wine easily boasts a 10 to 15-year drinking window. The price trajectory is strongly upward. Following the acquisition and rebranding from Mennini to Olterra, the packaging, marketing, and liquid quality have all been elevated to premium tiers. For an adventurous collector looking to secure the absolute best of emerging Eastern European terroirs, the 2022 Olterra is an essential, investment-grade acquisition.
Vineyard Details:
TERROIR & CRAFT Situated in the Colibași Village in Strejești, Olt County, the Olterra estate stretches across 72 hectares of the Drăgășani DOC. The Negru de Drăgășani vines are planted on a gently sloping, south-facing incline that maximizes the 1,650 hours of annual sunshine. The terroir here is the undeniable star: the 'Luturi' collection name literally translates to clay. The topsoil is a reddish-brown clay loam (argiluvisol), laden with iron oxide and gravel, while the subsoil, at a depth of 60cm, reveals active limestone and calcium carbonate. This creates a distinct push-pull effect: the clay retains moisture during blistering droughts, while the limestone imparts a chalky, mineral tension. Viticulturist Claudiu Bostoacă manages these blocks meticulously. The harvest is strictly manual, picking grape by grape. Winemaking, orchestrated by expert Marian Andrieș, begins with a rigorous sorting and a cold maceration to extract immense color before fermentation even starts. The wine undergoes an extended 20-day fermentation and malolactic conversion at a controlled 24 degrees Celsius in stainless steel tanks to preserve the wild, dark fruit aromatics. Following fermentation, the wine is transferred to a meticulously curated oak program. Leveraging the recent massive Vintruvian Estates investment, the 2022 vintage saw aging in a highly deliberate blend of newly acquired French, American, and Romanian oak barriques, as well as 3,000-liter wooden vats. ## PEER COMPARISON Where does Olterra's Negru de Drăgășani sit in the hierarchy? In Romania, its direct peers are Prince Știrbey's Negru de Drăgășani, Avincis Negru de Drăgășani, and Vinarte's UniQ blend. Compared to Prince Știrbey: Știrbey is the beloved traditionalist, often lighter, floral, and more rustic. Olterra is significantly darker, more opulent, and polished, utilizing superior oak integration. Compared to Avincis: Avincis brings a more restrained, Bordeaux-like approach to the grape. Olterra is the hedonist—massive dark fruit, richer extraction, and deeper spice, directly owed to the iron-rich clays of Strejești. If a blind tasting included this wine and its peers, Olterra 2022 would distinguish itself immediately through its striking, opaque violet-black rim and the distinct interplay of wild blackberries against a massive, signature hit of ground black pepper and clove.
Awards & Accolades
• Double Gold Medal - USA Wine Ratings (Historical Producer Excellence)
• Double Gold Medal - Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge
• Gold Medal - Vinarium International Wine Contest
• Ranked Top 30% of Wines in the World - Vivino
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