Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/780573
{ SOMMjournal.com } 73 The viticulture team, with Managers Marin Cucura and Ion Marginean helm- ing our four-wheel-drives, chauffeured us up to their largest winemaking facility, Tauni, to taste with Winemaker Florin Fratila. We tasted through the recently fermented wines from tank, in the brisk wind, with sweeping vineyard views. The vineyards lie at 400 to 600 meters of elevation on primarily south-facing hillsides in order to capitalize on the sunshine hours. With fewer than 700 hectares (1,700 acres) of poor vineyards purchased in 2000, Jidvei replanted most of those vineyards and added many more in prime locations to bring their current holdings to 2,640 hectares (6,500 acres) currently. "From the beginning, I knew we needed to replant," Claudiu Necsulescu lends. He also wanted to experiment with new varieties. I really enjoyed the Featasca˘ Regala˘, but as a non-native variety, Sauvignon Blanc shines in the region. It displays a ripeness from the long sunshine hours and alluvial soils while still maintaining its verve. Gewurztraminer, too, shows a distinct expres - sion here with characteristic spicy aromatics but balancing acidity, and Pinot Gris, which can struggle at times to find a balance between aromatics and acidity, finds a unique manifestation in Târnave. In addition, rosés, produced primarily from thicker-skinned varieties, show zippy red fruits with salivating acidity. Târnave in From the top of the impressive aromatic white wine production facility, the Jidvei team and I tasted through the recently fermented wines from tank. Making wines since 1972, Chief Winemaker Ioan Buia oversees production of Jidvei's annual one million case production.