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 single varietal syrah wine from the Stefan Voda wine region of Moldova – Shiraz 2019 by Equinox. In a world where bolder is better, syrah is the perfect choice, as it is darker and spicier than cabernet sauvignon and contains a high amounts of health-invigorating antioxidants. Syrah, also known as Shiraz, can be vinified in two major styles: old-world style and new-world style. The old-world syrah wines tend to have more acidity and displays earthy-herbaceous aromas on the nose, while the new-world shiraz wines are usually dusty and fruit-forward, with lots of spice and nuanced hints of smoke. This wine comes from the famous Purcari region in Stefan Voda IGP (more precisely from the Luchineasa vineyard near the Olanesti village) and has been aged for 24 months in oak barrels in order to gain more complexity and to round up the tannins. You can check here our reviews for its previous versions: 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2018. That said and 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
colour: medium-deep ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades on the rim
//Olfactory
intensity: rich & expressive
fruit profile: red fruits | dried fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red plum | cranberry
__dried fruits: dried sour cherry | dried red plum | dried cranberry
fruit character: overripe & dried
//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth | other
__spice: red pepper | cloves | anise | thyme | sweet chili pepper
__oak: cherry tree wood | oaktree bark | sun-dried oakwood
__earth: brick dust | loam | clay | marl | brown soil
__other: dried leaves | saw dust
primary layer: fruit & spice
//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: seedy
balance: fair
__dominant: acidity
body: austere | medium+
//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: overripe & dried
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium-
aftertaste: rough & hot
//Scoring
EQUINOX | Shiraz | 2019
variety: syrah
country: Moldova
region: Stefan Voda
rating: 90.2
//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or within 1-2 years
verdict: nice | quite enjoyable
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This is definitely a nice wine of Moldova and, with a total of 90.2 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 quite rough, heady and angular shiraz wine, with a nuanced fruity-dusty profile and a hot mouthfeel. The wine is still in its development phase, therefore we would recommend to drink it today or within the next 2 years, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine delivers a mixture of overripe and dried red fruits and a nuanced spicy accent in the foreground, followed by a dusty-woody background and a very subtle earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine showcases overwhelming acidity, seedy and unpolished tannins and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, all of which leads to a quite aggressive and hot aftertaste. All in all, this is a sharp, austere and unbalanced wine, that in its current state lacks harmony and any form of finesse on the palate and feels a bit oxidative. Judging by the wine’s structure, our recommendation is to pair it with spicy or grilled meats, like for example a peppercorn-crusted tomahawk steak or a rosemary-garlic flank steak. Cheers!
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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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