ET CETERA | Serenity | 2016
cabernet sauvignon | merlot | saperavi

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Today we are going to review a wine blend from the famous Stefan-Voda region – Serenity 2016 by Et Cetera. This wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and saperavi, where cabernet sauvignon forms the main body and structure (due to tannin) of the blend, merlot brings more fruit and a more refined mid-palate, while saperavi adds those subtle leathery hints and a deeper color due to the teinturier nature of this grape variety. The wine has been aged for 18 months in oak barriques and is produced in a limited edition of only 6946 bottles. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
___________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: deep
colour: ruby
clarity: pale
hue/rim: garnet

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry
fruit character: dried

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | spice | oak
__floral: lavender
__spice: red pepper | black pepper | nutmeg | cloves
__oak: vanilla | cinnamon | liquorice | sweet tobacco | roasted oakwood
__wood: new / medium roasted
aroma: primary | secondary | tertiary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: medium
__grip: fine
body: round
balance: fair
__dominant: acidity
complexity: moderate

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: dried
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
ET CETERA | Serenity | 2016
variety: cabernet sauvignon | merlot | saperavi
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 92.0

//Conclusion
maturity: past its prime
verdict: great
___________________________________________________________________________
This is definitely a great wine of Moldova and, with a total of 92.0 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.

Verdict: this is definitely a very fine wine blend, yet one that is already past its prime, therefore we would not recommend for any further bottle ageing, as the wine is very unlikely to improve. The wine has an amazingly scented nose with dried black fruits, lots of spice and some elegant lavender hints. On the palate however it feels fairly simple: round, lean and supple, at times even opulent, with a nuanced seedy-crisp accent and a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. This wine definitely lacks elegance and harmony between all it’s characteristics. Oh, and also this: do not aerate this wine for more than 20 minutes, as the fruit will quickly die and turn its character from dried to overcooked, while on the plate the wine losses structure and turn flabby and tart – this is definitely one of these wines you want to enjoy sooner rather than later, yet a wine totally worth the hype.
___________________________________________________________________________
© 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.