Purcari Negru De Purcari

Purcari Negru De Purcari is a 14% ABV Moldovan red blend in a 750ml bottle, combining Cabernet Sauvignon, Saperavi, and the indigenous Rară Neagră grape. The 2019 vintage earned 92 points from the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2023 and was included in Decanter's 2021 Top Classic Wines of the Year — recognition that has helped put Moldova firmly on the fine wine map.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14%  |  Origin: Ștefan Vodă, Moldova  |  Aged 18 Months in French Oak  |  Winery: Château Purcari

Production & Heritage

Château Purcari is one of Moldova's most storied wine estates, with a winemaking history stretching back to 1827 in the Ștefan Vodă region along the Dniester River. Negru De Purcari is the estate's flagship red, built from a distinctive three-grape blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon provides the structural backbone and dark fruit intensity, 40% Saperavi — a deeply pigmented Georgian variety — adds color depth and layers of black fruit, while 5% Rară Neagră, an indigenous Moldovan grape, contributes a refined mid-palate and dynamic finish. Grapes are harvested and selected by hand, then the wine matures for 18 months in French oak barriques, developing the toasty, spiced complexity that defines the final blend.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with pronounced blackberry and blackcurrant before deepening into violet, cedar, and vanilla. Secondary layers of bay leaf, clove, black pepper, and a faint smokiness emerge with time in the glass.

Taste: Dry on entry, with concentrated dark cherry and damson plum fruit flooding the mid-palate. The wine is full-bodied with medium-plus acidity that keeps the richness in check, while fine-grained tannins carry flavors of cassis, licorice, and an almost savory, meaty quality reminiscent of roast beef and leather. There is a pronounced flavor intensity throughout.

Finish: Long and velvety, with lingering notes of dark fruit, toasted oak, and a subtle charred edge. The Rară Neagră component reveals itself here, lending a lean, lifted quality that prevents heaviness.

How to Drink Negru De Purcari

This wine is best served at 16–18°C and rewards 30 minutes of decanting to open its layered aromatics. Drinking neat — meaning without food — allows the full spectrum of fruit and oak to unfold. For food-friendly occasions, a classic Beef Bourguignon echoes the wine's savory, dark fruit character. Grilled lamb chops with rosemary complement the peppery spice and medium-plus tannins. Aged hard cheeses such as Comté or aged Gouda mirror the wine's toasty oak and rich texture.

Best For

• Gifting a wine enthusiast curious about Eastern European fine wine
• Serving at a dinner party to spark conversation about Moldovan winemaking
• Pairing with a red-meat-centric holiday meal
• Building an adventurous cellar with undervalued, award-winning wines

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Negru De Purcari taste like? It is a full-bodied, dry red wine dominated by dark berry fruit, cassis, and dark plum, with savory undertones of leather, roast beef, and licorice layered over fine-grained tannins and toasted French oak.

How does Negru De Purcari compare to Bordeaux? The Cabernet Sauvignon backbone and French oak aging give it a structural similarity to a mid-tier classified Bordeaux, and blind tasters have historically compared Purcari wines to fifth-growth Bordeaux. The key difference is the inclusion of Saperavi and Rară Neagră, which add deeper color, more exotic dark fruit, and a distinctly Eastern European character absent from traditional Bordeaux blends.

Is Negru De Purcari good for sipping neat? Yes — its pronounced flavor intensity, balanced acidity, and long finish make it an engaging wine to drink on its own, especially after a brief decant to let the aromatics fully develop.

Where is Negru De Purcari made? Negru De Purcari is produced at Château Purcari in the Ștefan Vodă wine region of southeastern Moldova, situated along the Dniester River near the Black Sea, where a continental climate with warm summers supports full ripening of red grape varieties.

What foods pair well with Negru De Purcari? Grilled or roasted red meats like lamb and beef highlight the wine's savory depth. Slow-braised short ribs match its body and tannin structure. Aged hard cheeses such as Comté or Manchego complement the oak-derived vanilla and toast. Game dishes — venison or duck — echo the wine's earthy, leathery complexity. Dark chocolate desserts pair well with the cassis and fig notes on the finish.

What sizes does Negru De Purcari come in? The standard bottling is a 750ml bottle, which is the most widely available format.

Is Negru De Purcari worth the price? Negru De Purcari positions as a premium expression within Moldova's wine landscape but remains significantly more affordable than comparably rated Bordeaux blends, making it one of the stronger value propositions in the structured, oak-aged red wine category.

Why Negru De Purcari?

What sets this wine apart is a blend found nowhere else: Cabernet Sauvignon married with Georgian Saperavi and indigenous Moldovan Rară Neagră, aged 18 months in French oak barriques. That combination has earned consistent international recognition, including 92 points from the Decanter World Wine Awards, Gold medals from Expovina Wine Trophy and Vinarium International Wine Contest, and a spot on Decanter's Top Classic Wines of the Year list. For drinkers familiar with Bordeaux-style reds, Negru De Purcari delivers comparable structure and complexity at a fraction of the price, while the Saperavi and Rară Neagră components introduce a layer of dark, savory intrigue that no Left Bank blend can replicate. It is a flagship wine from one of Eastern Europe's oldest and most respected estates, and it rewards curiosity.