Kastro Tireli Alkaia Syrah Mourvedre
Despite its long history with wine, Turkey has little wine culture. A great many of the Turks who make or love wine developed this passion as a result of strong external influences. It was while studying Finance in France that Yunus Mermerci began his wine journey. One that eventually lead him back to Turkey to found his own winery, Kastro Tireli.
Kastro Tireli’s Vineyards
Located in Akhisar’s Pınarcık village, Kastro Tireli’s vineyards rise between 200-280 meters above the dusty north east Aegean sub-region of Manisa. The vineyards sit only 100 kilometers from the Aegean coast; close enough to still reap the benefits of coastal breezes. Winters here are generally cold and rainy while summers are long and warm. Everything in the vineyard is done by hand and Mermerci has applied organic farming principals since planting began in 2004.
At Kastro Tireli they cultivate a wide variety of grapes including: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvédre, Syrah, Öküzgözü, Boğazkere, Viognier, Narince, and Bornova Misketi. Each block is (hand) harvested separately and taken to the onsite, gravity-flow winery where they are fermented in stainless steel tanks and wooden vats. It was not until after I visited the winery that I learned the wines are fermented with native yeasts. Kastro Tireli’s wines are so smooth and consistent across vintages; I had no idea native yeast fermentation was yielding such results in Turkey. Winemaker Işık Gülçubuk attributes this to the organic farming and careful handling in the winery.
The Syrah and Mourvédre Blends 
Kastro Tireli’s line up currently consists of 10 different wines, one white, one rosé, and eight reds. Today we’re talking about two of the reds. Both are blends of Syrah and Mourvédre although slightly different percentages. Both underwent 28 days of maceration, 18 months aging in French oak, and limited filtration. While similar winemaking techniques were used, the differences in parcel, percentage of free run vs pressed juice, age of the barrel etc all contribute to an end result of two very different wines.
Kastro Tireli Alkaia 2013 Tasting Notes: 
At 14.9% abv this is not a shy wine! With the Syrah clocking in at 85% of the blend and Mourvédre making up the rest it should be of little surprise how inky dark was the wine’s color. Red forest fruits, plums, and cassis syrup dominate while savory notes of black olive and earth underpin the nose.
Flavors initially leaned more savory but extended breathing time opened up the wine to more mocha, cinnamon, and fruitcake. A supple, full-body with round tannins that wrap around a solid acidic core carry flavors to a lingering finish.
Kastro Tireli Syrah-Mourvédre 2013 Tasting Notes: 
Winner of an SWA Gold medal in 2017, Kastro Tireli’s premium Syrah-Mourvédre wine is a full-bodied 80/20 per cent blend with 14.7% abv. The intense garnet color reveals aromas of blackberry and black cherry, black pepper, and earth. Structured tannins and punchy acid open to flavors of fruit, spice, and licorice with a long, lingering finish ending on a note of dried herbs.
I opened this wine not too long ago but have a feeling that it would easily shelf for quite a few more years.