From the atlas
Domeniile Săhăteni
Domeniile Săhăteni is a Dealu Mare producer founded by Aurelia Vișinescu and Steve Cacenco, with indigenous grapes, international varieties, and an organic approach to viticulture.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Region | Muntenia, Romania |
| Area | Dealu Mare |
| Founders | Aurelia Vișinescu and Steve Cacenco |
| Main grapes | Fetească Neagră, Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală, Tămâioasă Românească, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah |
| Signature wine | Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 |
| Defining feature | Organic farming for red varieties and separate cellar treatment |
The Producer
Domeniile Săhăteni is the Dealu Mare estate of oenologist Aurelia Vișinescu and her associate, Steve Cacenco. Fetească Neagră appears in Artisan Fetească Neagră, Red Artisan, Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 and Anima Grand Reserve 2016, while White Artisan brings Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală and Tămâioasă Românească into the white range.
The vineyard covers 82 hectares under vine. Indigenous Romanian varieties grow alongside international grapes including Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The wines are made in a cellar equipped for pneumatic pressing, temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation and bottling.
Place
The vineyard lies in Dealu Mare, within Muntenia in Romania. The orientation of the hills provides the vines with considerable light and water, while the regional wine description places White Artisan 2025 in Dealu Mare and Muntenia.
Dealu Mare is a broad regional address rather than a named village on the bottle. The producer works within that area with both Romanian and international grape varieties, from Fetească Albă and Fetească Regală to Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.
Soil And Site
The vineyard soils contain clay and chalk with a high content of iron oxides. Other sites range from clay and sand over limestone subsoil to sand and stone on the hills, where Cabernet Sauvignon is grown.
Clay can retain water, while sandy and stony ground drains more quickly. These differences give the vineyard several distinct growing conditions within Dealu Mare, with Cabernet Sauvignon assigned to the hill sites described as sand and stone.
Story
Aurelia Vișinescu chose an organic approach to viticulture, using very little fertiliser, no insecticides and limited spraying. The vineyard changed materially after 2008, when most of its plantings were replanted with new varieties, new clones and improved graft selections.
The certification followed the farming work. The first certified organic crop came in 2021. In 2023, the estate produced its first certified organic white crops of Fetească Albă and Chardonnay, while all red grape varieties were already grown organically.
Vineyards And Cellar
The vineyard includes 64 hectares replanted with French clones over ten years. Some vines are about 40 years old, chiefly with indigenous varieties. Without irrigation, yields are five to six tonnes per hectare for Anima and eight tonnes per hectare for the other ranges.
The cellar uses pneumatic presses, temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for fermentation and a modern bottling facility. It contains more than 400 barriques for ageing. All red wines undergo spontaneous alcoholic fermentation, while Chardonnay undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation.
Wines
White Artisan is the white blend in the range. The 2025 wine combines 50 percent Fetească Albă, 35 percent Fetească Regală and 15 percent Tămâioasă Românească.
The red wines divide between Fetească Neagră bottlings and broader blends. Artisan Fetească Neagră 2018 spent 12 months in second use South Romanian oak. Red Artisan 2018 combines Fetească Neagră, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Anima Grand Reserve 2016 blends 39 percent Fetească Neagră, 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 percent Syrah and 18 percent Merlot, with each component aged separately for 12 to 18 months in new or second fill Romanian and French oak barriques.
Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 is another named bottle in the range, with a palate built around the grape's dark fruit, firm tannins, tobacco and vanilla.
In The Glass
White Artisan 2021 is scented and grapey, with grapefruit and rose aromas. The palate is fresh and fruity, marked by pink grapefruit, balance and a persistent finish.
Red Artisan 2018 is silky, with ripe red and black fruit, tobacco and dark chocolate. Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 has a velvety palate with dry plum, marmalade and dark chocolate, while firm tannins provide length alongside tobacco and vanilla.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose White Artisan 2021. Each grape variety was fermented separately in stainless steel at between 13 and 18 degrees Celsius, keeping the components distinct before ageing on the lees for two months with lees movement.
The lees work adds complexity and a buttery aftertaste. This bottle puts Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală and Tămâioasă Românească together through a cellar process that can be described in one sentence: separate fermentation followed by lees ageing.
Anecdote
In 2003, Aurelia Vișinescu's cousin encouraged her to start a family business. Vișinescu and her associate, Steve Cacenco, established Domeniile Săhăteni that year. Vișinescu was the oenologist, and Cacenco joined as her business partner. The vineyard is in Dealu Mare, where the soils contain clay and chalk with a high content of iron oxides. The estate now has 82 hectares under vine, including some vines about 40 years old, chiefly indigenous varieties.
Final Word
Domeniile Săhăteni makes Dealu Mare wines from Fetească Neagră, Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală and Tămâioasă Românească, alongside Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The cellar combines separate stainless steel fermentation, spontaneous fermentation for reds and ageing in Romanian and French oak.
Sources
- https://aureliavisinescu.com/
- https://www.vincarta.com/blog/aurelia-visinescu-romanian-winemaker
- https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/vin/white-artisan-5034501/
- https://aureliavisinescu.com/artisan-wines/
- https://aureliavisinescu.com/signature-wine/
- https://winestatistics.com/2022/05/13/anima-grand-reserve-2016/