Chateau Kalpak 2011 Bordeaux Blend
The Chateau Kalpak 2011 is a classic Bordeaux blend made by one of Turkey’s premiere winemakers; Chateau Kalpak. Made in a chateau-style this 2011 blend took a well-deserved gold medal at the 2014 Austrian Wine Challenge.
What is a “chateau-style” wine? The word came into use originally to describe wine in France where winemakers used grapes all grown on one “terroir” (a specific patch of land) to achieve a house-style wine with a consistent character across vintages.
Chateau Kalpak wines are made in this style. The Chateau Kalpak 2011 is a classic Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. All the grapes are grown in one vineyard in Gellibolu. After fermentation and blending they are barrel aged for an impressive 32 months in Hungarian oak barrels.
These wines won’t set you back the same amount as France’s Chateau Margaux. Rather they are reasonably priced and in fact are not 
even the most expensive Turkish wines on the market at roughly 115TL. They are however among the most special wines available in Turkey.
Chateau Kalpak 2011 Tasting Notes
So how excited was I to arrive in Vegas where my bff, also a Michigangster, had a bottle of St Julian for us to drink?! And not just any bottle. The wine geek in me exploded in delight when she showed me a bottle of St Julian Copper Vine. Amber wine from Michigan of all places! It seems almost fated that the very first Michigan amber wine I drink come from St Julian.
The Copper Vine is a 100% Pinot Gris fermented on the skins to create an intense amber orange. A color that looks very much like Baltic amber stones in fact. Flowers and herbs mingled with a hint of cigar smoke rose from the glass. Sipping revealed lemon rind, lemony thyme, and savory. Medium-bodied with 12% abv, the Copper Vine has the slight rasp of shy tannins and a medium, dry finish.
A very round about homecoming by way of Las Vegas. But a bottle of St Julian will always feel like home to me!