Mozaik Mahrem Petit Verdot Rebo
What Ali and Melis Emin intended as a future retirement project turned into full-blown careers. Located on the same grounds as the Emins’s vast horse breeding operation, Mozaik turns out some 60-70,000 bottles annually. Greatly influenced by a love of Italian wine, the winery offers wines made from several Italian varieties. Including the Mahrem Petit Verdot Rebo.
We have a surprising amount of Petit Verdot in Turkey. For years winemakers used it only in blends but more 100% Petit Verdot wines pop up every year. For the case of Mozaik’s Mahrem label though, we’re back to blend territory. Interestingly enough, this is the only blend Mozaik produces. So while we’re not exactly awash in Petit Verdot, it’s not uncommon. Rebo, however, is.
Created in Trentino, Italy by Rebo Rigotti, Rebo is a cross of Merlot and Teroldego. Wines made from Rebo tend to mimic the two parent grapes, creating full-bodied wines with spicy, dark fruit flavors. An interesting grape to pair with the bold, fruity-yet-floral French Petit Verdot. And for Mozaik, it is an equal pairing with a 50/50 blend. The wines underwent 18 days of maceration then 18 months of aging in a 90/10 combination of French and American oak barrels prior to blending and bottling. Ever a believer in doing things slowly and with patience, Emin leaves his wines to bottle age for several years before release. At the time I drank the 2010 and 2011 blends, the 2011 was the most recent vintage on the market.
Mozaik Mahrem Petit Verdot Rebo 2010 Tasting Notes
This was, I believe, the first commercial vintage of the Mahrem Petit Verdot Rebo blend. Bright garnet in the glass, the wine released 
aromas of red fruits, jammy cooked fruits, and cinnamon. On the palate it had a medium body with 14% abv, and a fresh acidity. While I really like tannic wines, I prefer when a wine has both tannin and flavor. Here, three dimensional tannins filled the mouth but flavors were just a faint echo of the nose.
Mozaik Mahrem Petit Verdot Rebo 2011 Tasting Notes
The 2011 blend had many similarities to the 2010. However, whether it was a better vintage or that extra year just gave the vines a bit more maturity that translated to the fruit I don’t know but the wine was better for it.
Aromas of ripe and tart fruits like summer ripened raspberries, currants, and red cherries mingled with cinnamon and woodsy-forest scent. A sip revealed tannins still on the grippy side but this time they didn’t overwhelm the flavor. While they added a slight stemmy bitterness they didn’t hide the tart, lipsmacking fruit flavors.
Not my favorite wine from Mozaik’s Mahrem line but certainly an interesting one!