Kastro Tireli Junus 2013
In the next coming weeks I’m moving apartments. I’m really hoping to be in the new place before Christmas. The tree and decorations will be the first things I move into and set up! As part of the move I need to pack up all my wine. This is one of those times I’m not jealous of people who have larger wine collections than I do; but packing up 200 some bottles is still not a picnic. Nor will be carrying them down from my third floor apartment up to my new third floor apartment. Although happily that’s why moving companies exist.
As I begin packing, I’m also separating out a few bottles to not pack so I have something to drink in the meantime. It was while doing that I stumbled across this bottle of Kastro Tireli Junus which I bought months ago and decided to take a delicious break from packing.
Finding Balance and Harmony
Similar to the way Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot make a classic blending pair, so too do Turkey’s Boğazkere and Öküzgözü. The more tannic Boğazkere (which means throat burner!) plays the Cab to Öküzgözü’s Merlot. So ubiquitous is this blend, it’s almost more difficult to find varietal versions of these grapes; particularly Boğazkere.
Classics are classic for a reason, right? You don’t need to mess around with a proven archetype. Or at least my high school language arts teacher told me so when I groaned over having to read anything by Nathaniel Hawthorne or Upton Sinclair. But what if you did? What if you wanted to add a third grape to this Boğazkere-Öküzgözü blend? Don’t be silly! Or “Olmaz!” as they’d say in Turkish. Can’t be done!
However, that is exactly what Kastro Tireli‘s winemaker did for the winery’s premium blend, Junus. She added a third grape, Kalecik Karası.
Kastro Tireli Junus 2013 Tasting Notes
Until I tried the Kastro Tireli Junus, I’d never seen nor even heard of a wine here blending the three most popular Turkish black grapes. Adding Kalecik Karası (often considered to be Turkey’s Pinot Noir) opened a whole new dimension to this blend. And she didn’t add just a touch. In fact, it was kind of the star of the blend with 46% Kalecik Karası, 40% Boğazkere, and a mere 14% Öküzgözü.
Since this wine weighs in at a whopping 15% abv, my advice is to let it breathe rather a lot. Poured out of the bottle (right after opening) the alcohol made itself obvious. However, after decanting and breathing for an hour that went away. That patience paid off in spades as the wine revealed aromas of tart berries, purple plums, earth, leather, and stable (the latter a distinctive addition from the Kalecik Karası!). In the mouth, spice paves the way for mid palate fruit and a lingering finish of stable leather and wintergreen. Medium, silky tannins and mouthwatering acid complete the picture here making the Kastro Tireli Junus an elegant and unique wine.