End of véraison and 2010 vintage

In Zeynep vineyards (Ürgüp) our Cabernet-sauvignon finished its véraison. It ran quickly and uniformly which is a good sign and this year it is pretty rare in Turkey.

Indeed, many vineyards have been hit by hail. I haven’t seen any totally lost harvest, but according to the date on which it hailed, the consequences are more or less serious. On many plots there is a big difference in maturity between the clusters. The vine has flowered twice which means that on the same vine, some clusters will be ready to be harvested while others would need another 15 days of maturation ... If this problem hasn’t been detected and resolved early, the impact on wine quality will be very important.

I heard that most of the Turkish wineries have already begun harvesting. This is not our case but it will not delay. Grapes ripen very quickly.

Weather is warm and dry. On good terroirs as Cappadocia and Güney nights are cool. The day/night temperature differences (15°C at least) that we have are very good for maturation, synthesis of flavors and anthocyanin (color).

The red grapes I've tasted so far are not yet ready to be harvested but the juices are already well-colored and fruity.

To be continued soon...

Emir 2009 & Misket Dömisek 2009

In 2009, Emir was harvested late, on October 15th! Indeed, summer 2009 has been mixed regarding weather: long days of rain alternating with some good weather. Late September-early October, we had a nice weather with not too high temperatures. Thanks to it the Emir vineyards benefited from a long period of maturation.

Its pale gold color is stronger than classical Emir wines which generally have a very light color.

The nose is rich with notes of quince, white peach, mango, pineapple, banana, vanilla and minerality.

In mouth, the attack is fresh with notes of pear, peach, quince and jasmine.

A short maturation on lees brings to this wine a nice balance with roundness and acidity.

Emir 2009 is perfect for aperitif, fishes, all plates of sea food and some cream cheeses.

    

The most significant fact with this Misket, or Bornova’s Muscat is its color. This wine is almost transparent.

Its nose is explosive with notes of mimosa, acacia honey, white peach and apricot.

On the palate, it has aromas of honey, apricot jam and peach syrup. In this semi-dry wine, sugar is well integrated. It's balanced in the final by a good acidity.

This wine is very aromatic and well balanced. It is perfect for an aperitif and get well with a fruit or chocolate dessert.

These two wines are now available at our sail points in Turkey : Ürgüp, Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara and we deliver everywhere in the country. More information on our website: http://www.turasan.com.tr/

Seneler Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah 2008

Gold medal in the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010

The Seneler Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah 2008 you’ve been waiting for so long is now available!

It's a blend of the finest red grape varieties. In the 2008 vintage, there is 45% Merlot from the region of Denizli (Güney). It brings body, roundness and notes of black fruits (blackcurrant and blackberry) to this wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon , also coming from Güney, represents 30% of the blend. It gives to the wine a great aromatic delicacy (notes of ginger, wild strawberry and gingerbread) and a nice tannic structure.

The 25% left are Syrah; 2/3 of it come from Cappadocia and 1/3 from Güney. Even if it is a small part in the blend, Syrah is truly present in the nose with lovely notes of violets and white pepper.

This great red wine was aged 12 months in barrel and 11 months in our cellar. You can either taste it now or wait for a decade.

It will accompany all your red meat, game and dishes prepared with a mushroom sauce ...

A new Turasan wine !

You already know our varietal wines Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in our Kav Serie. A Syrah is now available.

This wine, elaborated with grapes from Güney vineyards (Denizli), was vinified in tank with a cold maceration and a total maceration of 25 days. Everything has been done to preserve a lot of fruit in this wine.

Our 2008 Syrah has a dark color with hints of purple. A nose of black fruit, cherry juice, plum, blackcurrant, licorice and pepper.

The mouth, slightly oaked, is largely dominated by the fruit, cherry and blackcurrant.

This wine is an excellent accompaniment for all white and red meat (not too spicy). In this season, I recommend to drink it slightly cool (15-16 ° C) with grilled meat, a delight!

Seneler Öküzgözü 2008

Silver Medal in Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010

What can I say about this wine?... I love it, it has got everything! Öküzgözü is certainly my favorite Turkish red grape variety. It gives incredibly fruity wines with fine tannins and a beautiful body. When, in addition, the grapes come from this small parcel of Elazig located on a beautiful “terroir”, I have all that I could wish for.

The Seneler Öküzgözü 2008 is an exclusive “cuvée”. The grapes come from a single vineyard in Elazığ. In fact, two small parcels next to each other rather different and very complementary.

It was fermented in tank and aged in French oak barrels for 12 months with a low percentage of new oak to preserve all the grape variety typicality.

Nice deep red hue, almost black.

The nose, of great aromatic richness, is expressed by typical black fruits of Öküzgözü: black cherry, plum and raisin. There are also more developed notes of cinnamon, coffee and black olive.

The palate is rich and concentrated with blackberry and cherry flavors.

A few touches of spicy and discrete oak (coffee, vanilla) bring complexity and smoothness to this wine with plenty of expression.

This wine is an excellent accompaniment for red meat, a beef tartar, a truffle cake…

Tasting with Stéphane Toutoundji

Today with Stéphane Toutoundji (our French consultant from Bordeaux), Hasan Turasan and Mustafa Seçen, we tasted all the 2009 wines that are still ageing in the winery.

This work requires great attention and concentration, because there are many samples to taste and they are analyzed by our noses and our mouths ...

We did the final blend of Seneler Chardonnay 2009. It has the concentration of 2007 but much more finesse and elegance. I love this wine of great complexity that combines typical notes of Chardonnay (quince, butter) with notes of barrel ageing (toasted, roasted, vanilla) and some flavors from our “terroir” in Cappadocia. In fact the last three vintages, each year we find a very fine aroma of fresh pine tree ... I associate it with the “terroir”, maybe the next vintages will confirm it ...

The conclusion of this tasting is positive. Stéphane was very satisfied with everything he has tasted. The 2009 has a lot of fruit flavors, soft tannins, a nice body and this difficult vintage has a nice freshness through acidity. A few months ageing more and we will prepare 2009 blends.

Some samples before tasting :

Stéphane Toutoundji, our French consultant from Bordeaux :

Visit to Güney

Late June / early July, I went to Güney, near Denizli. Since 2008, we closely work with some growers in this region and it is a real pleasure.

Located 900 meters above sea level, this plateau has a magical “terroir”! The influence of the Aegean Sea is very strong. Days are warm but with dry air. Upon nightfall, the temperature drops rapidly due to sea breezes. The soil is composed of red clay and limestone, whose depth is quite variable. The secret of this region comes mostly from the sub-soil; a thick stratum of limestone which has two major qualities. A good water retention capacity and the fact that this rock is friable, which means that the roots can penetrate it easily. Therefore vines have the water immediately available but it's hard to extract ... In summer, it does not rain in this region and the vine has to force to extract water. This put the vines in moderate water stress what is an absolutely essential condition for a good grape ripening.

Additionally, growers of the Güney region are very interested in their culture and always want to improve their work. They ask many questions and work very well. The result : beautiful vineyards, high quality grapes and exceptional wines : Seneler Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah 2008 Gold Medal in Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010!

Güney soil profile :

Soil composed of red clay and limestone

 

The top stratum of clay and limestone whose thickness varies



Sub-soil consists of a friable chalky rock where the roots can penetrate deep