Rendezvous in Bulgaria - Magura Winery

Not quite sure how I ended up with this wine from Bulgaria but it is definitely a first for me.

The winery - Magura Winery is located in Bulgaria between the Danube and the red sandstone rocks of Belogradchik and the natural phenomenon "Magura" Cave.  The Magura Cave is a famous cave located in north-western Bulgaria.  The length of the cave is 2.5 km and the largest inland lake in the country, Rabisha Lake is situated in the vicinity of the cave.  The entire region has been declared a national landmark.

Now that I've painted a picture (no pun intended) of the area onto the wine.  The wine is a 2009 Magura Winery Rendez-vous Cuvee du Nord.  This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Right off the bat the wine had a nice color.

Aromas of black cherry, cherry filled the glass. There was a little oak and a weird musty basement smell.  That dissipated after a while.

The palate was a little acidic with a blend of black cherry and sour cherry.  There was some vanilla and notes of smokiness towards the finish. The smokiness kind of lingers on the finish.

We drank this with pasta and tomato sauce and it paired well. I would also say it would be a good pizza wine.

One note..it did taste similar to wines made in the Hudson Valley from red hybrid grapes.