Five Turkish Cabernet Sauvignons to Try
I’m one of those annoying people who has to touch everything when they go through clothing and housewares stores. Although I am certainly trying to control the impulse during these days of COVID-19. But I’m a very tactile person. I learn by doing, not by seeing for example. And how things feel is critical for me. I might like the look of a dress or even a couch cover but the feel of the material is ultimately even more important than the look. For that reason, I particularly enjoy textural wines and one of the reasons why, for years Cabernet Sauvignon was among my go-to grapes.
I drank a lot of Turkish Cabernet Sauvignon when I first moved to Istanbul. Cabernet was a familiar name and I was intimidated by the native grapes. Cabernet is not the most popular international grape 
(that would be Syrah) but it still enjoys huge popularity here with very few wineries not featuring at least a blend. So in that sea of Cabernet, how do you choose? I’ve reviewed a lot of Cabernet wines on this blog but below are a few (more) I’ve had recently-ish that are a great place to start.
Ergenekon Singularis, 2013
Ergenekon, a husband-wife team winery is nestled amidst the verdant fields of Çanakkale near the Gulf of Saros. The couple farm organically and keep their production small scale. They produced only 1500 bottles of this particular wine in 2013. No plans to expand here as they prefer to give their small production as much attention as they can going for quality over quantity. The grapes for this wine came from their organic vineyards and the wine was aged for 16 months in American oak barrels before being bottled with limited filtration.
Alcohol: 14.4% abv
Color: brilliant garnet
Nose: A great deal of richness right from the pour with aromas of nutmeg, fig, black plum, berry jam, cocoa nibs, and hints of cedar.
Palate: This one came in a bit hot for me on the palate. That aside … this was a powerful wine with structured tannins and flavors reflecting the aromas sensed in the nose; balancing the sweetness with an edge of spiciness and a medium long finish.
Doluca Alçitepe Kirte, 2014
One of Turkey’s oldest and longest-running wineries, Doluca, sources fruit from both its own vineyards and contracted vineyards around the country. The grapes for this wine, the winery’s most premium label, come from the north hillside of its Alçitepe vineyard in Kirte (ergo the name of the wine) in Çanakkale. Twelve days of maceration followed by nine months ageing in both French and American oak (80/20% respectively).
Alcohol: 14% abv
Color: Deep ruby
Nose: Initially a little tight, the wine needed about an hour to breathe after which it released aromas of red and dark fruits, coffee, and caramel.
Palate: Dark-roasted coffee bean flavors on the attack moved into fruit with smooth tannins carrying flavors of berry, sour cherry, and pomegranate mid-palate then a lingering finish of eucalyptus. This 
wine takes you on quite the journey. Balanced and beautifully made…but for me the price point is a little overblown.
Umurbey Vineyards, 2013
Thracian winery Umurbey Vineyards is best known as a white wine producer. Not just any white wine though. The Sauvignon Blanc here is one of the prime examples of this grape in Turkey. It is so well-known and loved that it’s become almost a point of contention to winery owner Umur Arıner who does not want to be known only as a white wine producer. And those who do only reach for the Sauvignon Blanc really miss out on some great red wines.
Alcohol: 14.5% abv
Color: medium intense, bright garnet
Nose: Black pepper and black fruits take the lead on the nose with hints of stable and leather.
Palate: Big, round tannins and high acidity fill the mouth with flavors of black fruits, green bell pepper, and black peppercorn and carry through to a long finish.
Büyülübağ Bağcılık Şarapçılık Wild Ferment, 2015
Island winery Büyülübağ was the first winery to advertise that it was making wild fermented wines. Owner Alp Törüner started experimenting with small batches of wild fermentation red wines and eventually released two, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot, to the market. Wild fermented wines are not entirely uncommon in Turkey. In fact quite a few wineries use this practice. But it was Büyülübağ that first used it as a marketing draw.
Grapes for this wine come from the winery’s Avşa island vineyards and grow in granitic and sandy soils and the wine aged 12 months in French oak barrels.
Alcohol: 14% abv
Color: medium intense garnet
Nose: Earthy and fruity with aromas of tobacco, black cooked fruits, eucalyptus, green bell, and a touch of herbal herbal astringency.
Palate: The earthy character came through loud and clear on the palate adding plums and berry flavors to the green bell pepper and eucalyptus. Grippy tannins warred a bit with high, mouthwatering acidity but in the end they reached an accord on a medium plus finish. Start to finish, love this one.
Urlice Vineyards Reserve, 2012
One of the wineries on the Urla Bağ Yolu, Urlice is another small-production winery run by a husband-wife team. The couple learned to love wine while living in the US. After returning to Turkey they began planting their own vineyards. A friend of the Slow Food movement in Turkey, they take the same attitude towards their wines. Wines which they make. Urlice is part of a growing trend in Turkey to not hire a foreign consultant. Instead, these two wine lovers learned their trade trough self-study and trial and error. Wines are aged in French oak and bottled with limited filtration.
Alcohol: 14% abv
Color: medium plus intense brick
Nose: Moss, forest underfloor, mushroom, black pepper, and a bit of currant. Like several of the Urlice red wines, the Cabernet has a funky character; but good funky.
Palate: If you like wines that lean away from fruit and heavily towards earth and tertiary flavors this is the Cab for you. Moss, mushroom, tobacco, black pepper, bitter cocoa powder, and a hint of dried fig framed by muscular tannins and fresh acidity and ending a solid medium finish.