Chamlija Blanc de Noirs Fume
In the semi-recent past I led a tasting called the Four Faces of Papaskarası . We tasted four of Chamlija’s Papaskarası wines: the Blanc de Noirs, Blanc de Noirs Fumé, Papaskarası , and Papaskarası Reserve. I’ve had the Blanc de Noirs before but this was my first go round with the Chamlija Blanc de Noirs Fume. It was not only my favorite of the night but everyone’s favorite!
I often feel spoiled as there are a number of wineries that ship directly to me; Chamlija being one of them. However there are a couple Chamlija wines for which I would pay the inflated retail price. The Blanc de Noirs Fume is one of them.
The Pope’s Black
Papazkarası’s story is interesting. Papazkarası is a grape native to Turkey’s Thracian region with a history going back at least 1,500 
years. It is not a well-known grape even in Turkey where it’s cultivated by few winemakers-namely Chamlija, Melen, and Edrine. Papazkarası grapes have the ability to make versatile wines that are aromatic, fruit-forward, and naturally highly acidic light bodied red wines and blanc de noir white wines.
The name literally means “pope’s black”. There are several stories about how the grape garnered its name. My favorite commemorates the Byzantine Papacy when the Pope live in Constantinople. If the legend can be believed, the Pontiff’s favorite wines were made from this Thracian grape.
Chamlija Blanc de Noirs Fumé 2015 Tasting Notes
I was really surprised by how light this was for a fume. You can see even in the picture how pale yellow the wine was. Even though I’d had the Blanc de Noirs before I really had no idea what to expect from the Fume. The differences were somehow both subtle and huge.
The nose of the Fume was full of white peaches, tropical fruits, and vanilla. In the mouth it was delightful. Absolutely delightful. Very nice acidity; fresh and lively. The flavors echoed the nose with more white peaches, tropical fruits (mango), and a hint of cream and butter.
At 12.5% abv and the refreshing flavors this was one of those wines that I call Dangerously Drinkable. It slipped down very easily (perhaps too easily!) especially paired with the spicy chipotle chicken salad I was eating.
I see another order to Chamlija in my near future to stock up on this for summer drinking!