EQUINOX | 5 Elemente | 2016
cabernet sauvignon | syrah | malbec | rara neagra | carmenère

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Tonight we are going to review a legendary wine blend that is made with no fewer than 5 grape varieties: cabernet sauvignon, syrah, malbec, rara neagra and carmenère – all of them combined to the point of excellence – 5 Elemente 2016 by Equinox. Each variety was harvested individually at its optimum ripeness and aged separately for 30 months in oak barrels. Only then, the winemaker blended each of them, turning the five wines into one of the most amazing local wine blends. Needless to mention that this wine has been produced in a very limited edition, as only 2900 bottles has ever been made. That said and without further ado, let’s move on, straight to the wine tasting phase!
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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 ripe pomegranate shades towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with ripe red and black fruits flavours: sour cherry, blue plum, blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, redcurrant, black raspberry, black cherry, wildberry, black plum, wolf berry, cranberry, rose hips and cherry tree wood. An instant later the nose is filled with elegant notes of dried oakwood, red pepper, nutmeg, black tea, dried cranberry, dried black cherry, black soil and some insistent hints of wood polish.

Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and fine-grained tannin. It feels fruity, round and grippy, with a nuanced new-world accent. This is a quite tannic, lean and supple wine, as it tastes ripe, plump and rich. It feels a bit young at this stage – seedy and crisp, with overwhelming acidity on the palate, yet without any nuanced edges or excessive flamboyance on the palate. It has a good overall balance and a well structured, full body, lacking maybe just a bit of firmness, character and elegance – a real crowd-pleaser.

Aftertaste
The wine has a long finish and a quite velvety,tart and tannic aftertaste.
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This is definitely an excellent 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 yet too young to be enjoyed today, as its acidity and tannins needs to settle down a bit. In our humble opinion this is a wine that has yet to reach the summit of its prime form (most probably in the next 2 or 3 years). Despite its youthfulness, the wine has a ripe and fine tannic grip on the mouthfeel, as it tastes bold and expansive, with quite a textured character on the mid-palate, where the nuanced fruity flavors glide nicely alongside those subtle woody notes. This is a very appealing wine blend and our suggestion is to pair it with meaty dishes that are rich in natural umami flavours and slightly sweet accents, like for example an extra-rare filet mignon steak, seared in garlic herb butter on the stove and finished in the oven. Cheers!

WineStatistics tasting results:

EQUINOX
5 Elemente | 2016

grape: | cabernet sauvignon | syrah | malbec | rara neagra | carmenère |

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.