The 2008 Chateau Nuzun Cabernet Syrah
Usually I write these posts later in the afternoon but my regularly scheduled activities are frustrated by the need to wait around for DHL to turn up with a package. Usually they arrive shortly after calling to see if I’m home but it’s been an hour already. At least the package I’m waiting for is really cute shoes.
I heard about Chateau Nuzun recently and while La Cave in Cihangir carries four of this nearby winery’s wines, they range in price from
90 to 140 TL. And I haven’t been a good enough girl to merit that of late. So I was happy to discover that my new favorite place, Comedus, carried several different Chataeu Nuzun wines at a much lower price. Including the 2008 Chateau Nuzun Cabernet Syrah blend for a reasonable 48TL.
In a word-beautiful. This one definitely needs a little breathing room so be prepared and open it at least 30 minutes before you want to drink. Both the nose and the palate were what you would expect of a blending of these two wines*; deep, spicy with top notes of black pepper supported by clove, smokey with tobacco, and just a touch jammy with black berries and other foresty fruits. Medium acid and tannins and a long finish topped off quite an elegant wine.
We had a bit of an odd meal with the Chateau Nuzun…a selection of meats and cheeses from Comedus, truffled almonds Lauren sent me, and chicken soup because we were all sick. While the wine may not have been the best choice for the soup it went beautifully with the truffled almonds and the dried meats.
This first try from Chateau Nuzun was a winner for me! I look forward to having this again and trying what else they have to offer (at less than 90TL/bottle).
*A blend with a French-style Syrah, I mean versus an Australian-style Shiraz. They are, in fact, exactly the same grape but are called by different names due to geographic and possible translation differences. So what do I mean by it being French versus Australian in style? Simply that France and Australia have very different soils, climates, and growing seasons. A French (or North/South American) Syrah is spicier with perhaps more mineral overtones than its Australian counterpart with tends to be fruitier.