Doluca Kav Narince
Do not judge a book by its cover! We all know this. Sometimes though when it comes to a wine label I forget. I’m often guilty of buying, or not buying wine based on the label. I’ve had wines as fabulous as the label, wine as terrible on the label, terrible wine tarted up by a great label, and great wine hidden under a terrible label. The Doluca Kav Narince falls into that latter category.
This label hardly looks like the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen. Although to be fair I have seen far worse labels. However, it does not particularly evoke any excitement or invite one to buy the wine. And since the wine is not inexpensive, I have always avoided it. One day, though, I decided to give it a shot. And I’m so glad I did. That overly basic, boring label hides an excellent wine.
Narince, native to Turkey, comes from the Tokat district of the Black Sea. Doluca’s winery is located in Thrace. Almost exactly the opposite end of the country. Doluca transports the grapes in small crates and in refrigerated trucks in an attempt to minimize any damage the grapes may receive during the long journey.
Doluca Kav Narince, 2017
Pale lemon on the pour with an inviting fruity and floral bouquet. Initially lots of citrus including lemon and lemon blossom along with an edge of crushed flint. A little bit of swirling and warming allowed aromas of tropical fruits like melon and banana to develop. On the palate flavors tended more towards grapefruit, pear, blossom, and flint then warmed up to include those tropical fruits.
Dry with zippy acidity and a medium body. The bottle did not indicate whether or not Doluca raised the wine in oak. My guess is no (or minimal neutral oak) but there was a heftiness to the body that made me think there was some malolactic conversion and/or sur lie ageing.
A very nice that paired beautifully with my Thai-inspired salmon over zucchini noodles. And a wine that taught me not to turn up my nose at wines with less exciting labels!