EQUINOX | Sintagma | 2017
rara neagra | cabernet sauvignon

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Today we are going to review a very special wine – a wine we will be talking about for a very long time – Sintagma 2017 by Equinox. The constant search for perfection makes this wine a real classic – a blend of rara neagra and cabernet sauvignon, where cabernet sauvignon forms the main body and structure, while rara neagra brings slightly more cherry fruit flavors and a more refined mid-palate. A syntagma is an elementary constituent segment within a text and, similar to the words that merge one into another, the two grape varieties fusion into something more than a mere blend – it is an union of power and finesse, where all the wilderness of rara neagra match the complexity of cabernet sauvignon. This specific wine has been aged for 18 months in oak barriques and only 700 bottles have ever been produced, therefore this wine is a rarity even here in Moldova. But enough theory, that said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: deep
colour: ruby
clarity: hazy
hue/rim: ruby

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red currant | cranberry | pomegranate
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry | aronia
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak
__spice: red pepper | nutmeg | black pepper
__oak: liquorice | sweet tobacco | cherry tree wood
__wood: new / medium
aroma: primary | secondary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: ripe
body: full
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
complexity: complex

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: spice | oak
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: velvety-crisp

//Scoring
EQUINOX | Sintagma | 2017
variety: rara neagra | cabernet sauvignon
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 93.5

//Conclusion
maturity: on the rise
verdict: great | a must try
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This is definitely a great wine of Moldova and, with a total of 93.5 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 one of the finest wines we’ve tasted so far – a wine that definitely needs more time in the bottle (4 to 5 more years) before it will reach its prime form. The wine tastes round, supple and quite grippy, with an expressive fruit-forward profile and a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. The wine feels ripe, voluptuous and well structured, with a full body and a seedy-crisp finale, where the primary fruit is complemented amazingly well by the oak-infused flavours. What this wine lacks today is elegance and finesse, traits that will come with some additional time in the bottle. In its current state the wine feels rich and crisp, with overwhelming acidity and fine-grained yet grippy tannins – we’d suggest to aerate it 30 to 45 minutes before serving. All in all, this is one of the best red blends on the market.
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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.