The journey to characterful red wines
The winemaking process is coordinated by two oenologists: Mihai Băniță, part of the team that founded LacertA in 2005, and Mihaela Oprea, a representative of the new generation of Romanian oenologists.
Together, they pursue the same vision: the authentic expression of the Dealu Mare terroir through complex, elegant red wines with remarkable aging potential.
Grapes are hand-harvested at full ripeness, carefully sorted, and gravitationally processed in the winery, where fermentation takes place at controlled temperatures. The red wines are then aged for approximately 12 months in barriques made from five types of oak, carefully selected to add complexity and balance.
After aging in barriques, the wines continue their evolution in the bottle for a minimum of five years, during which the tannins soften, the aromas gain depth, and the wine fully expresses its character before reaching the glasses of wine lovers in Romania and around the world.
Aging of Red Wines
At the end of the maturation in barrique, each barrel is carefully evaluated according to the wine's structure and its acquired aromatic expression. The origin of the oak - France, Romania, the United States, Canada, Hungary, or other regions with tradition - gives each wine a unique evolution.
After multiple tastings, oenologists determine the destination of the wine from each barrique: from wines that express the elegance of the varietal, to the most complex, benchmark blends.
It is a process of precision and passion, designed to preserve LacertA's identity and to create full-bodied, structured wines with aging potential in the bottle.
After bottling, the red wines remain to age in the cellar for a minimum of 5 years, so that time can perfect what nature and oenological mastery have created: wines with personality, complex and profound, with firm yet velvety tannins, which carry in every glass the imprint of the terroir and of time.
Periodically, the wines are evaluated through successive tastings, and the vintage years that reveal the best evolution in the bottle, with particular complexity and elegance, are selected for the Vintage Collection.