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Cab Franc Day Turkish Style

 

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I used to feel rather agnostic about Cabernet Franc. Wines left me with a feeling of “meh.” Over the last few years grape has grown in popularity in Turkey. With increased popularity has also come increased quality. Now I hunt down all the variety Cabernet Franc wines I can find. So in honor of #CabFrancDay I thought I’d dig out notes on a few recent finds.

Cabernet Franc can be found in vineyards across Turkey. However, it is especially prevalent in Thrace, Central Anatolia, and various areas of the Aegean. So today for #CabFranc day we’re looking at a couple wines from each of these regions.

Pamukkale Anfora Cabernet Franc 2012 Tasting Notes

Anfora is not one of Pamukkale’s higher-end series. Which sadly does show in the wine but overall it’s not too bad.

Pamukkale’s Cabernet Franc grapes come from the Güney Plateau in Izmir’s Denizli district. Generally a pretty high elevation, it is a plateau, not hills. Which means the grapes still receive a great deal of direct (and burning) sun. Making the wine’s 14% abv not a huge surprise.

The major plus point here being that I was able to find a 2012 vintage of the Anfora and it held up pretty well. A broody bouquet of tobacco, eucalyptus, and cherries swirled out of the glass. The palate largely reflected the nose with juicy black and sour cherries carried by velvety tannins and firm acidity. If you’re not 100% sure you’re going to be a Cabernet Franc fan, the Pamukkale Anfora won’t break the bank while you try it out.

Selendi Sarnıç Cabernet Franc 2015 Tasting Notes

Not too far from the Güney Plateau sit Selendi’s Sarnıç vineyards in Akhısar’s hot and arid climate.

The wine, made with organic grapes, aged for 18 months in French barrique. On the nose it displayed tart blue fruits, violets, tobacco, wet red clay, bay leaf, and roasted tomatoes. Suede-like tannins, medium-bodied with a whopping 14.8% abv carried flavors of tart black and purple berries, coffee, and dried herbs.

A lovely wine but for the price point there are more interesting examples of Cabernet Franc in Turkey.

Sevilen Centum Cabernet Franc 2011 Tasting Notes

Sevilen’s Centum Cabernet Franc comes from Çeşme, farther south in the Aegean region. This series takes its name from Sevilen’s Centum vineyard; itself named because the plot had 100 vines on it when the winery acquired it. Warmer and generally wetter than the Güney Plateau, grapes grown here usually create big, full-bodied, and high alcohol wines (evidenced by the Centum’s 14.5% abv).

If Sevilen’s Centum Cabernet Franc is any indication, they also create beautiful wines.

One of Sevilen’s premium wines, the Centum spent 14 months in oak barrique then a further 12 months in the bottle before release. Plum, spice, and sweet tobacco wrapped around a core of roasted meat aromas.

Big, mouth-filling tannins coated my mouth with flavors of crunchy cherries, black currants, and black pepper. Fruit and spice turned into deep and seductive flavors of espresso beans and caramel on a lingering finish.

Saranta Chateau Murou 2015 Tasting Notes

From the Kırklareli area of upper Thrace, Saranta’s Cabernet Franc grapes grow at a relatively modest elevation. However, the regions extreme temperatures (both cold and hot) work to grape ripening advantage allowing the grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness while attaining high levels of acidity.

Saranta has a fantastic viticulturalist and winemaker, Gülçin, makes deft use of French barrique here. She ages the wine for 18 months taming the tannins and adding toasty notes.

Saranta’s Chateau Murou Cabernet Franc is like a forest in the bottle…not the woody part of the forest though, the green. This (and Gordias’s below) is easily one of my favorite Cab Francs in Turkey. Tree moss and forest underfloor mix with violets and umami goodness in the glass. In the mouth, silky tannins and elegant acidity wrap purple fruit flavors around the earthy umaminess like a silken ribbon.

Impeccably well-balanced with 14% abv alcohol, if you’re a Cabernet Franc fan, this is your wine.

Gordias Cabernet Franc 2016 Tasting Notes

Located in the small village Polatlı to the southwest of Ankara, Gordias winery is run by the one woman powerhouse Canan Gerimli. Her vineyards here sit at a height of about 850 meters above sea level in the heart of the high Anatolian plateau. The plateau is located far from the coast and has a typical steppe climate with cold winters and dry, dusty summers.

The Gordias Cabernet Franc stood out as something very different and distinct right from the beginning. Pouring the wine released aromas of ripe blue and black fruits, bramble fruit (and the bramble for that matter), with whiffs of meat and barnyard. Sipping revealed big, round tannins that carried flavors of grilled venison and barbeque smoke. Breathing time allowed the fruit to express itself a little more and added a lush, juiciness to the meaty top notes.

Medium-bodied with firm acidity and 13.5% abv, Gordias’ Cabernet Franc was fantastically different from the insipid wines I’d come to associate with this grape. It paired beautifully with roasted tomatoes, rosemary, and sharp white cheddar.