• Country of origin: Romania
• Producer: Sarica Niculitel
• Type: white / dry
• Grape variety: Aligote 100%​
• Classification: IG Colinele Dobrogei
• Readiness for drinking: now~2028
• Price range: 2,000~2,999 Yen

Caii de la Letea, Volume 1

The wine Caii de la Letea comes from Sarica-Niculițel, the oldest and one of the most valuable vineyards in Dobrogea. Here, grapevine cultivation has a millennia-old tradition.

While traditional viticulture methods and grape selection have been largely preserved, the winery's oenologists demonstrate their expertise by skillfully incorporating new winemaking technologies. This approach not only preserves the essence of the wine but also highlights the specific terroir characteristics, ensuring a unique and high-quality product.

One of the emblematic grape varieties of the vineyard is Aligote, which has found an extremely favorable environment in Dobrogea. Viticola Sarica Niculițel is the largest producer of Aligote in the world. In recent years, it has managed to bring this variety to the attention of wine lovers through awards won at renowned international competitions.

Volume 1 is also called "Vigoare" (Vigor). Like the horses living freely under the scorching sun of Dobrogea, the wine is young and vigorous, reminding us of the spiritedness of the horses from Letea.

The grape

Aligote, a white grape variety from France, is relatively obscure in the global wine market, and its charms are not widely known. However, it produces excellent wines. Aligote is commonly cultivated in Romania, with 5,065 hectares as of 2023.

It is the most representative white grape variety of the Dobrogea region, with 854 hectares as of 2023. At Daniel’s Wine Club, we highly recommend any Aligote wine from this region. It is really worth a try.

Tasting notes

• Appearance
  A healthy, bright medium lemon color.
  
• Nose
  It has a fresh and rich floral aroma, with nuances of acacia, elderflower, and chamomile, along with hints of green apple, white peach, and pear-like fruits, showcasing a complexity rarely found in this price range. It also exhibits mineral notes derived from limestone soils reminiscent of wet stones and flint.
  
• Palate
  It carries nuances of green apple, citrus, and hay. The balance between fresh and vibrant acidity and moderate fruitiness is beautifully achieved. It has a rounded and gentle flavor profile, with excellent mineral undertones providing structure. While maintaining a dry taste, it offers a subtle sweetness derived from the fruit, enticing the appetite. It embodies the typical characteristics of Aligote, unique to this region.
  
• Food pairing
  It pairs well with a wide range of dishes and is perfect as a table wine. It particularly complements herb-roasted white fish, nanbanzuke (Japanese fish marinated in vinegar), caponata, grilled chicken, salads with yogurt dressing, and fresh cheeses. It also pairs nicely with various Japanese dishes.
  

Service temperature

• 8~10℃

Basic information

• Alcohol by volume: 12.5％
• Residual sugar: 1.30 g/l
• Acidity: 6.09 g/l
• Body: medium
• Bottle volume: 750 ml

Terroir and grapes

• Ingredients: grapes 100%
• Historical region: Dobrogea
• Wine region: Colinele Dobrogei
• Podgorie: Sarica-Niculițel
• Village: Niculițel
• Soil: chalky soil
• Altitude: 0~50 m
• Yearly rainfall: 350~450 mm
• Yearly average temperature: 10.8°C
• Yield: 3.5 t/Ha
• Vineyard owner: Sarica Niculițel
• Vineyard manager: Mr. Sorin IGNAT
• Vineyard consultant: Mr. Paul FULEA

Winemaking information

• Production place: Sarica-Niculițel
• Bottling place: Sarica-Niculițel
• Winemaking: temperature controlled stainless tank fermentation.
• Bottling date: listed on the bottle

​​Import information

• Importer: Daniel's Wine Club.
• Import method: maritime import.
• Import Route: Sarica-Niculițel ⇨ Daniel's Wine Club.
• Quality control method during transportation: use temperature-controlled containers.

Storage information

• Seller: Daniel's Wine Club.
• Storage place: Daniel's Wine Club Yokohama.
• Storage temperature: 16°~18°C.

You can find gift boxes, along with packaging and noshi (traditional Japanese ceremonial wrapping) options, on the "Accessories and Gifts" page.

If you’d like to add a personal touch to your gift, we can also include a card or message in the package. Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance. We will do our best to ensure your gift arrives in perfect condition.

Important Note

Some wines are not compatible with gift packaging due to their size (either too wide or too tall). In these cases, we will indicate in the [PRODUCT DESCRIPTION] section that the wine is not compatible with gift packaging.

Before you place an order, make sure you check out the shipping policy.

For online orders, you will receive automated notifications and electronic receipts, which can be used for accounting purposes. Upon request, we can include a printed receipt in the package. More details here.

For orders placed outside of the online store, issuing a receipt incurs an additional fee of 110 yen.