EQUINOX | 5 Elemente | 2020
feteasca alba | feteasca regala | babeasca gris | chardonnay | pinot gris

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Tonight we are going to review a very special wine, as this is not just an orange wine, but the wine that started the whole orange wine culture in Moldova – 5 Elemente 2020 by Equinox. This wine is a blend of no fewer than 5 grape varieties: feteasca alba, feteasca regala, babeasca gris, chardonnay and pinot gris – all of them blended to the point of excellence. Each variety has been harvested individually at its optimum ripeness and vinified individually, and only then, the winemaker blended them, turning the five wines into one final blend. Orange wine (known also as amber wine) is made by leaving the grape skins and seeds in contact with the juice, most often for the whole duration of the fermentation process, which gives the resulting wine a deep orange/amber hue (it’s like making a red wine out of white grapes). The most intriguing thing about this particular wine is that each new version is unique, as the blending formula has never been repeated, not to mention that the grapes for this particular edition went through a 9 months extended maceration and the wine was produced in a very limited edition, as only 600 bottles have been released on the market. That said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: pale amber color
clarity: pastel orange hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & sweet (late harvest)
fruit profile: sweet fruits | citrus fruits | stone fruits
__sweet fruits: golden apples | quince | wild pear
__citrus fruits: orange | lemon | orange peel
__stone fruits: apricot | pluot | yellow mirabelle | white-flesh plum
fruit character: overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: herbal | sweet | malic | other
__herbal: hay | lemongrass | straw grass
__sweet: raisins | candied apricots
__malic: sour apples | fermented apples
__other: rose hips | dried quince | cashew | white pepper | dried apricots
__wood: none

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: firm
balance: good
__dominant: tannin (grippiness)
body: austere | full bodied

//Taste
fruit profile: citrus fruits & stone fruits
fruit character: overripe & dried
non fruit: malic flavours
finish: medium+
aftertaste: pleasantly seedy

//Scoring
EQUINOX | 5 Elemente | 2020
variety: feteasca alba | feteasca regala | babeasca gris | chardonnay | pinot gris
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 92.2

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | can age for 3-4 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine 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.

Verdict: this is a very fine orange/amber wine that has yet to reach the peak of its form, as its acidity and tannins needs to settle down and round up. We believe this wine can be aged for 3 or 4 more years in the bottle, in the same manner as georgian white/orange wines are traditionally aged in kvevri. In its current state the wine feels austere, crisp and angular, with pleasantly-seedy finale and a sour accent on the nose, dominated by sour apples, candied apricots and some nuanced hints of dried sweet fruits. What this wine lacks today is some finesse on the palate, as it tastes firm and complex, with a full body, overwhelming acidity and a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. On our memory, this is the most tannic (think grippy) orange wine we have tasted so far – it has the palate of a bold red wine and the aromatic complexity of a fully mature white wine. We strongly recommend to get one and discover its hidden treasures.

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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.