Selendi Sarnıç White Blends
Located in the northern reaches of Turkey’s Aegean region, Selendi Şarapları prides itself on its many red wines. I, however, vastly prefer their whites. The vast expanses of dry land in Akhısar where the winery is located don’t look look like they should produce lushly flavored wines. And yet both Selendi and neighboring winery Kastro Tireli do just that.
Selendi’s Moralı Narince remains one of my favorite Narince wines. You have to really want this wine though to find it. Luckily, Selendi makes more than just the one white wine. I’ve had two others from this winery, both blends, that are more easily available.
Selendi Sarnıç Chardonnay Viognier, 2017
Pale straw on the pour with tropical fruit, lemon curd, and delicate white blossom aromas. Despite the delicacy of those floral aromas, this wine is no shrinking violet! With an abv of 14.3% this is a full-bodied and rich wine. An appealing streak of lemony acidity balanced a round fatness while tropical fruit flavors of pineapple, guava, and banana expressed themselves on the palate. Meyer lemon and waxy honeycomb flavors filled out the intense flavors and lingered pleasingly on the finish.
Selendi Sarnıç Chardonnay Viognier Narince, 2019
For its 2020 white blend release, Selendi added the native Narince for a 44% Chardonnay, 32% Viognier, and 24% Narince blend.
Pale and lemony in the glass, the color served as a precursor to the flavor profile. Vibrant citrus aromas of lemon and blood orange accompanied juicy stone fruit, banana, and blossom on the nose. While this blend had a slightly higher alcohol by volume (14.5% abv), it felt much lighter on the palate than the 2017. The citrus theme followed in the mouth with a dry and fresh palate scented with lemon blossom and full of splashes of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Flavors of peach and melon added a sense of richness while vibrant acidity and a wet stone minerality on the finish keeps you coming back for more.
I’ve already bought a second bottle!