EQUINOX | Sintagma v.2 | 2015
rara neagra | cabernet sauvignon
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Tonight we are going to re-evaluate a very special wine, to be honest it is one of our favourite wines of Moldova – Sintagma 2015 by Equinox. The winemaker’s constant search for perfection makes this wine a real classic, a blend of rara neagra and cabernet sauvignon, made with a slight twist in the winemaking process: this wine has been stabilised with sulfur dioxide. Sulfites have been vilified by the general public ever since wineries were required to write “contains sulfites” on the labels but believe it or not, sulfites are actually produced as a natural byproduct of yeast alcoholic fermentation in quantities up to 100 parts per million and used widely in the food industry as a safe means of preserving food. But enough theory, without further ado, on to the tasting!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:
Visual
Deep, but not opaque, ruby color with pale garnet shades towards the rim of the glass.
Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with ripe red fruits flavours: sour cherry, blackberry, ripe red plum, ripe cranberry, redcurrant, black raspberry, dried cherry, cherry seeds, violets, dried plum, cherry tree wood and some nuanced irony hints. An instant later the nose is filled with notes of sweet wood, nutmeg, red pepper, black soil, sweet tobacco and roasted oakwood.
Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and firm tannin. It feels seedy, tannic and grippy, with a nuanced youthfulness and a fruity-woody accent. This is a quite bold, angular and complex wine blend, as it tastes firm and noble, with a well structured mouthfeel and a muscular, a bit rough plate. The wine has a good overall balance as it feels well structured, a bit aggressive and austere, with very subtle oaky notes.
Aftertaste
The wine has a long finish and a seedy-tart, a bit rough aftertaste.
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This is definitely an exceptional wine of Moldova and, with a total of 92.2 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 wine that is definitely too young to drink now, as its acidity and tannins has yet to settle down and round up a bit. We believe that this wine will reach its peak form in the next 2 or 3 years. Despite its youthfulness, it has plenty of tannic grip on the palate, with a quite ripe-textured character on the mouthfeel and a touch of alcoholic warmth showing through towards the end. The wine has been aged for 24 months in new french oak barrels and is produced in a very limited edition of only 1800 bottles, thus the wine is a rarity even here in Moldova. We would recommend to pair it with meaty dishes with spicy but creamy accents, like for example tournedos rossini beef medallions with foie gras and truffles or grilled pepper steak, so that all the angularity in the wine will be perfectly counter-balanced by the spiciness of the dish. Enjoy!
WineStatistics tasting results:
EQUINOX
Sintagma v.2 | 2015
grape: | rara neagra | cabernet sauvignon |
region: Moldova | Stefan-Voda
overall rating: | 92.2 |
maturity: on the rise
conclusion: excellent | (a must try)
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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.
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WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a one-time donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a monthly donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a yearly donation so that we can review even more wines.
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