Parallel wine tastings always bring me joy – but never like this.
Imagine tasting two glasses of the exact same wine side by side.
Same vineyard, same vines, same vintage.
Only the names – and the method of ageing – have changed.
One, Grand Trianon, has aged in the cool, dark air of a traditional cellar.
The other – the exact same wine – has aged under the cold, dark pressure 100 feet below the sea.
The latter emerges as Deux Mers (meaning two seas) paying homage to both the ancient Pannonian seabed where the grapes are grown and the Adriatic Sea where the wine is aged.
Moments after opening and pouring both of the bottles, naturally, both seem a bit shy.
They both need air.
Still, both display a fruit-driven aroma profile, with the Grand Trianon showing a bit more of red fruit – red plums, raspberries and red currant, while the Deux Mers flashes a bit darker profile – black plums and black currant are the most prominent.
Minutes go by.
Grand Trianon is coming to its senses.
Aromas begin to escape from the glass – vanilla, star anise, mushrooms and wet forest floor, followed by a gamey undertone.
Deux Mers wakes a bit more slowly.
Every now and then, scents peel from the wine – cassis, smoked meat, sage, cooked plums – it keeps revealing, in a seductive way.
Moments after drinking Grand Trianon, the tart finish lingers on the palate – acidity makes the palate salivate, and reaching for the next sip is the only thing that makes sense.

Deux Mers ends with a perfumed aftertaste – sage and tobacco stay in the mouth for minutes after drinking.
The wines we are tasting –  2016 Grand Trianon – come from Erdevik winery in the Fruška Gora region of modern-day Serbia, where the 45th Parallel meets the Danube River.
Both are the same 2016 Bordeaux blend based mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon, rounded with Merlot and enhanced with Syrah.
Drinking Grand Trianon is much like going to a nice restaurant – you know what you are going to get – it tastes and feels like a Bordeaux blend from a continental climate and works in harmony with how it smells.
Ripe and generous, warm yet refined.
The warm environment that enabled it to successfully ripen did not dull the acidity a bit.
The cold nights in Fruška Gora give the vines time to relax, and preserve the much-needed acidity to balance out the alcohol and tannins.
The flavors are nicely integrated, and everything is going in the same direction.
This wine was made with a clear goal – producing a food-friendly wine that can also be used as something to meditate on.
On the other hand, Deux Mers feels more like stepping into an antique store on a lesser-known street.
It smells and tastes different.
It has changed it into something new.
The acidity is still very much there, but softened.
The tannins are mellowed down – present, but polished and velvety, leaving you aching for more.
The Cabernet dominance settles in, while the Syrah flourishes.
It is spicy and has a smokey undertone.
The wood has integrated even more into the flavor; the vanilla aromas have turned into a whiff of paper, as if browsing through an old book.
Deux Mers seems at least three or four years older, but it still tastes like Grand Trianon.
Same, yet different – one wine in two different stages of life.
Grand Trianon seems a bit more youthful and fruit-driven, while Deux Mers tends to be a bit more grounded – less fruit and more perfume and spices.
My advice: Decant and drink these two wines side by side since both wines have their charms.