Ma’Adra Pinot Noir 2017
Pinot Noir and I have not got on very well. Just not my grape. I have enjoyed a few, chiefly Chamlija’s Felix Culpa. But overall the grape has always left me feeling flat. Until a visit to Ma’Adra in Turkey’s north Aegean.
Also, not going to lie. I love the Burgundy wine glass.
Mother Earth in the Madra Mountains
Former architect Fikret Özdemir once visited old vineyards in the Madra Mountains and was struck by the beauty there. When Özdemir retired, remembering his visit and reaction to the land, he decided to start a winery in the area as a retirement hobby. The land he selected has not been worked for anything, let alone vines, for a long time. The slopes being too steep to easily plant and manage as they were, Özdemir cleared out large rocks, stumps, and debris in order to carve out 30 hectares of terraces. It would be two years before he could plant his first vines.
Ma’Adra is the old name for the Madra Mountains; ‘ma’ meaning mother earth and ‘adra’ huge. In the this beautiful and imposing land Özdemir designed and built his own gravity-flow winery. On a nearby slope amidst the vines sits the winery’s retail area and restaurant.
While this started as a retirement project for him, the entire Özdemir family works either in the winery or the restaurant. His charming daughter Didem, graduate of Plumpton College, is the lead winemaker at Ma’Adra. Didem is passionate about not only wine but making wine that reflects the region. When you taste her wine, you are tasting the history and terroir of the Madra Mountains.
Ma’Adra Pinot Noir 2017 Tasting Notes:
Of all the Ma’Adra wines I’ve enjoyed, I’ve never felt more clearly this passion for the land than in the newly released Pinot Noir. Located at about 550 meters elevation and touched by breeze from the Aegean, Ma’Adra’s vineyards provide this fickle grape with the perfect growing environment.
Possibly enhanced by the fancy Burgundy glass…the nose revealed aromas of red berries, earth (literally, there was a loamy soil aroma), dried leaves, and red licorice. A silky light-weight body wrapped around a brightly acidic core, this 13% abv beauty drank far too easily. Predominately earthy flavors with cocoa-dusted red fruits and hints of black pepper completely seduced me into fandom.