Kastro Tireli Hermos: Taking Viognier To the Next Level
It’s been quite a few years since Kastro Tireli debuted its first “natural” Hermos wine, a blend of Narince and Viognier. The line takes Kastro Tireli’s clean winemaking practices one step further. The winery has always used organically-grown grapes and, when possible, native yeast fermentation. Hermos goes another level by using skin contact for the white wines, no filtration, and adds the barest hint of sulfur before bottling. 
What started with one wine is now five: the original Narince-Viognier blend, a Bornova Misketi (one of my favorite wines), varietal Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. I have not tried any of the reds, but very much enjoyed the two whites I’ve had. Recently, I opened a bottle of the Viognier (probably the least easy to find) and wow. Had I needed further evidence as to the talent of winemaker Işık Gülçubuk, this would cement it!
Kastro Tireli Hermos Viognier, 2023
The Kastro Tireli Hermos Viognier spent 55 days on the skins, fermenting with native yeasts. It then aged for six months in old barrels before being bottled unfiltered and with minimal added sulfur. The resulting tawny amber wine was clean despite the lack of filtration, with just a hint of haziness.
This was a beautifully layered and complex wine that drew me in deeper with every swirl and sip! Çıtır ayva tatlısı (crunchy quince dessert – something so specifically Turkish but there’s no other way to describe it!), white donut peaches, banana skins, honey, laurel, and ladyfinger biscuits decorated with a dusting of Chinese 5 Spice powder framed by delicate tannins and fresh acidity.
Yum!
This is not a wine for the economically faint of heart, I’m sorry to say. It is, however, absolutely worth the price of admission. Even I’ve had to put a stop to gratuitous wine buying recently but this, this I would buy again.