Murfatlar Pinot Gris Elderbeerenlese 2006

The Land

Romania's sunniest wine region is not in the Carpathians. Murfatlar lies in Dobrogea, in Constanța county, on the strip of land between the Danube and the Black Sea, along the Danube-Black Sea Canal. The appellation's official specification records 2,220 to 2,300 hours of sunshine a year and some of the lowest rainfall in the country. Summers are hot and dry, winters are moderated by the sea, and autumns run long and late, which is exactly what a grower needs to leave grapes hanging until they shrivel and concentrate. The soils are chalky limestone rich in calcium carbonate, with carbonate chernozems and rendzinas. Pinot Gris from Murfatlar grows in a climate built for sweet wine.

The Wine

This is a sweet Pinot Gris from a selective late harvest, the Murfatlar tradition of picking Pinot Gris after the berries have shriveled on the vine. Romanian law defines its sweetest harvest category, "cules la înnobilarea boabelor," as noble-rot-affected grapes with at least 240 grams of sugar per liter at harvest. Sweet whites from the appellation are described as honeyed, round and creamy. The bottle came from a private cellar, and its storage history is unknown. At 20 years old, expect deep gold to amber, then dried apricot, honey, quince paste, candied orange peel and toasted nuts, a rich, viscous body, and a long, sweet finish lifted by whatever acidity remains. Chill it lightly, stand it upright for a day, and decant gently if you see sediment.

The People

Murfatlar is as much an institution as a winery. The Romanian state began planting vineyards here in 1907, and in 1943 it founded a research and development station for viticulture and winemaking that has tracked the vineyard ever since, including the harvest dates that have moved earlier by close to nine days per decade since the 1960s. The old state vineyard became one of Romania's largest wine estates, and its reputation was built on sweet whites from Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Muscat Ottonel, many of them exported. That history explains why a sweet Pinot Gris from the Black Sea coast turns up in a private cellar in the first place.

Food Pairing

Sweet Pinot Gris carries more weight than Riesling, so it can handle richer food. Seared foie gras with caramelized apples is the classic, with the wine's sugar matching the fruit and its acidity cutting the fat. A wedge of Roquefort or Stilton with honey and walnuts works because salt and sweetness make each other taste better. Apricot tart with almond cream echoes the dried-fruit flavors. Pour a small glass after dinner and let the conversation turn to where in the world it came from.