Chamlija Caladoc
I’m so glad I had this review pre-written for today. I’ve been sick a lot lately and with this latest cold I can’t smell or taste much. When I am unwell I waver between doing nothing, popping pills (a hold over from growing up with a mother who diagnosed us and handed out drugs from her considerable prescription collection), or attempting more natural methods. While my brother was here in October we went to my friend M’s shop in the Spice Bazaar where we discovered crystal menthol. That’s menthol. We’re not Breaking Bad over here.
Breathing in menthol fumes is a great way to clear out your sinuses and I gave it a try while my brother was still here. I put some of the crystals in put, poured boiling water over them, and covered my head with a towel to make my own little steam tent. No sooner had I put my face in the steam than I threw off the towel, coughing, gagging, and desperately searching for menthol fume-free air. Apparently I had used too much.
Have you ever in your life been able to feel the entirety of your eyeballs in your head? The menthol fumes wrapped themselves around my eyeballs making them feel alive in a way I don’t even think I have ever felt. My brother, already laughing at my predicament, set off on a new bout of hilarity when I told him my eyes were alive. Between laughing at myself and the fumes I had tears running down my face and just about killed my brother with more laughter when I started yelling that “MY TEARS ARE BURNING MY FACE!”.
So the lesson there is obviously to use menthol crystals sparingly; especially if you ever expect to be able to smell the delicate scents in wine ever again.
Chamlija Caladoc 2013 Tasting Notes
Another winning Chamlija this week. It seems every time I go out I find a new one and of course they all must be tried. Chamlija Caladoc (or Kaladok) is a French grape that is a cross between Grenache Noir and Malbec. Knowing that chances were pretty good that I was going to love it.
In the glass, which you can’t really see because of the bad picture, the Chamlija Caladoc was dark, dark purple in color. The nose was equally dark, with black and dried fruits, eucalyptus, and maybe a little leather. With the Grenache leading the blend it was more medium bodied with medium tannins and acid. On the palate the herbs were more pronounced: tobacco, eucalyptus, and black pepper. Really, really lovely.
Worth every penny of the 90 TL we paid for it at La Cave. Chamlija Caladoc and I will be friends and will see each other again!