At Doluca a Commitment to Innovation
For 90 years the Kutman family has been at the forefront of the Turkish wine industry. When Nihat Ahmet Kutman founded Doluca in 1926 he also debuted wines made with international grape varieties. He brought cuttings from Europe and introduced Turkey to Riesling, Cinsault, Semillon, and Gamay. In 1989 Nihat’s son Ahmet, now the second generation in charge of the winery, released Doluca’s Sarafin series. This series, made with grapes sourced from vineyards in Turkey’s southern Thrace, was an important step forward for the industry as it put focus on high-quality wine production.
Continuing a Family Legacy
Doluca has scores upon scores of awards and high scores for its wines. One of the biggest names in the Turkish wine industry, both domestically and abroad, it would be easy for the third generation of Kutmans, Nihat’s grandchildren Ali and Sibel to take it easy and rest on what their family built. But that is not what they are doing. According to Sibel, they feel keenly the pressure to not only live up to what their father and grandfather have done but to push the family’s legacy for innovation even further.
In order to do this they have taken several steps. One was to move the winery from its historic base in Mürefte to new facilities in northern Thrace. The new winery is both beautiful and purposeful holding production facilities, offices, a full lab, and a large cellar.
Under their leadership Doluca has released two more high quality series Karma (blends of international and Turkish grapes) and Tuğra as well as two additional premium level series Signium and Alçitepe. It’s the Tuğra line that I am going to talk about today.
Many of Doluca’s wines feature international grape varieties but the Tuğra line is dedicated solely to Turkish grapes. It also, in my opinion, has some of the best label designs from Doluca!
“Tuğra” is Turkish for the seal of the sultan. Each label depicts a different, elaborate seal figure.
There are currently three wines in this line, all of them red. They are 100% varietal wines made with Boğazkere, Öküzgözü, and Kalecik Karası. I have only had two of them so far; the Boğazkere and Öküzgözü.
Doluca Tuğra Öküzgözü 2014
Öküzgözü grapes generally produce medium-bodied wines with high acidity and low to medium alcohol, usually around 12.5-13.5% ABV. Not so Doluca’s Tuğra Öküzgözü! It’s high alcohol level of 14.5% is just the beginning.
Big jammy fruit dominates the nose. Not bottled until 2016 means this wine spent a fair amount of time in oak. Doluca uses majority French oak but also blends with wine aged in American oak. A little swirling and a little air release oak-influenced aromas of cedar, toasted nut, chocolate, and caramel. This was much richer than I usually expect from this grape. Round, silky tannins and flavors of berry jam, baking spices, and hints of sweet, dark caramel make this a special wine.
Doluca Tuğra Boğazkere 2013
Boğazkere means ‘throat burner’ and clumsily-made wines often live up to that name. This variety turns out highly-tannic and high-alcohol wines that, in the wrong hands, will burn a hole in your gullet and give you the worst heartburn. Thankfully in this case Doluca’s hands were right ones.
The Tuğra Boğazkere is still fairly high in alcohol (14.2%) and initially the nose was a wall of alcohol fumes. Vigorous swirling (or an aerator) is your friend here because when those fumes dissipate you are able to enjoy aromas of ripe bramble fruits, cinnamon, sweet tobacco, new leather, and wet leaves. Like the Öküzgözü this spent time in oak which helped tame the grape’s usually aggressive tannins. Flavors were less complex than the aroma profile but still very enjoyable with juicy cherry and deep baking spices.