ET CETERA | Merlot | 2015
merlot

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Tonight we are going to review a legendary single varietal merlot wine from the winemaker’s flagship line, also known as ‘black label’ line – Merlot 2015 by Et Cetera. This is the successor of the famous Merlot 2014 wine and, as is already the norm for premium class wines, it has been produced in a limited edition of only 5974 bottles and aged for 18 months in new oak barrels. Merlot grape variety is usually regarded as the underdog to cabernet sauvignon, but make no mistake here, merlot wine is first class as it usually responds well to oak ageing. But let’s not get carried away by all that boring theory. Without further ado, let’s move on to the fun part – on to the wine tasting we go!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

Visual
Deep and noble ruby color with elegant garnet hues towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with black fruit flavours: black plum, black cherry, blackberry, black mulberry, blackcurrant, black raspberry, sour cherry and cherry tree wood. An instant later the nose is filled with elegant notes of roasted oakwood, smoked plum, dried cherry, black pepper, nutmeg, tobacco, sweet wood, cloves and some subtle hints of vanilla.

Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and ripe tannin. It tastes seedy, fruity and woody, with a tart and angular profile, overwhelming acidity and a acrid-tannic accent . This is a quite youthful, supple and astringent wine that feels a bit rough, yet round and extracted. Overall, the wine has a fair balance between fruit and oak flavours and it creates the impression of a very noble and fine merlot wine.

Aftertaste
The wine has a long finish and an balanced, seedy-tart aftertaste.
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.7 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Conclusion: this is a very fine merlot wine that is still on the rise, a wine with a great ageing potential, therefore we would recommend 3 to 4 more years of bottle ageing. Despite its youthfulness, the wine has a ripe tannic grip on the mouthfeel, with nuanced fruitiness, that coupled with those woody notes, gain additional traction on the plate. This is definitely one of the best merlot wines we’ve ever tasted. In order to amplify its aromatics, we would suggest to pair this wine with meaty dishes that are rich with savory flavours and smooth textures, like for example a very-rare filet mignon steak with red wine reduction sauce, just remember to keep the filet mignon steak rare, so that it will counter-balance all the sharp edgest of the wine and will enrich its texture. Enjoy!

WineStatistics tasting results:

ET CETERA
Merlot | 2015

grape: | merlot |

region: Moldova | Stefan-Voda

overall rating: | 91.7 |

maturity: on the rise

conclusion: fine | (highly recommended)

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.