Arcadia Finesse Bordeaux Blend
To follow on my recent post about Turkish Bordeaux blends, I thought I’d write about two vintages of Arcadia’s Finesse Bordeaux. I received these two bottles from the Oenotrian Wine Club here in Istanbul. Honestly I both received and drank them rather a long time ago… I’m really terrible about blogging as I go. These two wines came with a box Oenotrian put together for its members of two vintages each of three different wines. The challenge – do Turkish wines age well? I don’t think any of us needed the box to answer that question (yes they can!) but I enjoyed the experiment regardless!
Located in Kırklareli in northern Thrace, Arcadia enjoys vineyards with a variety of soil types thanks to sluices that have come down from the nearby Istanca Mountains. Vineyards sit at 150 meters above sea level. Naturally many of the plots have a mix of the decomposed gravel, sand, clay, and quartz that makes up the soil composition here. However, there are a number of plots that feature a majority of one or the other soils; lending Arcadia wines a special depth of character.
Arcadia Finesse Bordeaux Blend, 2016
Arcadia’s Finesse blend comprises traditional Bordeaux grape varieties Cabernet Sauvingon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc with variable percentages of each to maintain a standard style. Although usually Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blend. The 2016 included 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine underwent 26 days of maceration, 22 days fermentation, then a month of malolactic conversion in steel tanks. From there, the wines spent an average of 12 months in oak before blending then another 12 months in tank before bottling.
Still very young, this one was initially quite tight and needed decanting and time to open. When it did though, this intensely purple-ruby wine offered aromas of purple flowers, sweet tobacco, and barbecue smoke. Tannins that were on the aggressive side brought flavors of raspberry and sweet spices to compliment the tobacco, smoke, and flowers that carried over from the nose. Dry with high alcohol (14% abv), medium acidity, and a medium plus body.
Arcadia Finesse Bordeaux Blend, 2009
The 2009 included 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and only 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine underwent 25 days of maceration, 21 days fermentation, then two months of malolactic conversion in steel tanks. From there, the wines spent an average of 12 months in oak before blending then another 12 months in tank before bottling.
You could see the difference between this and the ’16 in the glass. Whereas the 2016 still showed some purple in the ruby, the 2009 was a solid, deep red ruby with no hints of purple. More developed aromas of red fruits, forest fruits, sweet spices, crème brûlée, and graphite made up the bouquet here. Smooth and elegant on the palate, with lower alcohol (13.5% abv) and tannins that were still structured but with the soft roundedness from age. Palate flavors reflected the nose with the addition of roasted tomato, a spicier edge to the brown spices, and pepper.