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#MerlotMe with Claros Merlot

 

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This week I’m continuing my #Merlober celebrations with wine pairings for two Merlots from the same Turkish winery: Claros.

Claros winery comes to us from the Yavaş family. Brainchild of the father with son, Canberk, serving as winemaker. Claros keeps things simple for us. They make Merlot. Only Merlot. Possibly they should act as the Turkish representative for #MerlotMe month!

The winery takes its name from tClaros he nearby ruins of ancient Greek city, Klaros. Not only does it specialize in Merlot, but Claros also makes completely unfined, unfiltered, wild ferment Merlot. When other wineries here say they make unfined/unfiltered or “limited” filtered wines, I laugh. Maybe their wines have a little sediment in them. Claros wines, on the other hand, are the Turkish coffee of wine! Sediment makes up the bottom third of the bottle!

Claros Merlot, 2017 with stuffed mushrooms

A while back I ordered a couple wines from Claros and this was the perfect time to break out a couple of them. Claros makes two Merlots: the eponymous wine and, new this year, an oaked version (the Mantos below).

Generally when I hear “wild ferment” I brace myself for a bit of funk. Of course this is not always the case. Even Turkey produces a number of elegant wild ferment wines. Claros though, is one of those wines that displays a bit of funk. Not in an off-putting way though. This medium opaque ruby wine releases aromas of moss, forest floor, red fruits, mulberry, and green herby something like eucalyptus.  Rough tannins filled the mouth along with fresh acidity and fruity flavors of mulberry, blueberry, and mulberry syrup.

Inspired by two fellow bloggers Culinary Adventures with Camilla and Liz at What’s In The Bottle, I paired this wine cheese and chorizo stuffed mushrooms and seared green beans with garlic. I also found some dill and walnut cheese packet thingies at my store and gave those a try.

This wine was a big yes with the beans and worked very well with the stuffed mushrooms. The cheese…things (cheese mixed with walnuts and dill, wrapped in a thin pastry and preserved in oil) were not at all to my taste. I really do hate dill. It didn’t hate the wine though.

Claros Mantos Merlot, 2018 with a selection of grilled cheese

This year for the first time, Claros released a new wine-Mantos. While the eponymous Merlot sees no oak, the Mantos. A limited release with only 1800 bottles, the 2018 Mantos was also a wild ferment, unfiltered, with high alcohol at 14.6%. But, it saw seven months ageing in oak barrique.

Again on the nose I got a bit of that “funk.” Moss, cranberry, mulberry, black pepper, and mushroom followed. Chewy tannins clung to the insides if my mouth and would not be washed away by mouthwatering acidity. Palate flavors echoed the nose with fig joining the mulberry. Fruit flavors persisted throughout with the barest hint of vanilla and caramel on the finish.

Following the lead of another blogger, Cindy at Grape Experiences, I paired this with a series of grilled cheese sandwiches. I made three:

• Turkish gravyer with both caramelized and fried onions and truffle mayo
• Chevre with fresh blueberries and honey
• Pecorino with rosemary fig jam

and spicy-sweet sweet potatoes on the side!

The Mantos got along fairly well with tall the food but the graver with onions and truffle flavor was the clear winner.

I am now officially a fan of #MerlotMe month!

For more #MerlotMe month fun, check out articles and Merlot pairing ideas from other bloggers and Merlot fans in the #WinePW group!

• • Andrea at The Quirky Cork shares “Three Turkish Merlots”
  • Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Merlot: A Varietal That Plays Well with Others”
  • Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Sip Merlot with Vegetarian Favorites”
  • Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen shares “Fall Vegan Menu Paired with 2016 Napa Merlots”
  • David at Cooking Chat shares “Merlot Food Pairing: Tips and Favorites”
  • Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Meatloaf and #MerlotMe with Sonoma’s Selby and Columbia Valley’s L’Ecole No. 41”
  • Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Merlot Pairing: Baked Pasta with Sausage Ragù”
  • Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “A Tale of Two Merlots at the Grill”
  • Jill at L’Occasion shares “What’s So Special About Merlot?”
  • Jennifer at Vino Travels shares “Fall is Here! Warm up with a Merlot and Pot Roast Pairing”
  • Lauren at The Swirling Dervish shares “October is #MerlotMe Month: Here’s What I’ve Been Sipping”
  • Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Kicking off #MerlotMe in the Pacific time zone”
  • Liz at What’s in that Bottle? shares “Make Room for Merlot!”
  • Lori at Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Leaves on the Ground and #MerlotMe in my Glass”
  • Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Next Gen Merlot From Where It All Started”
  • Martin at Enofylz shares “A Meatless #MerlotMe Redux”
  • Nicole at Somms Table shares “5 #MerlotMe Nights”
  • Payal at Keep the Peas shares “Kicking Off Autumn With #Merlotme”
  • Pinny at Chinese Wine & Food Pairings shares “#MerlotMe with Markham and L’Ecole No. 41 Merlots and Army Ramen”
  • Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Merlot from elegant to badass. Time to #Merlotme.”
  • Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “#MerlotMe – Best Food Pairings For Merlot”
  • Susannah at Avvinare shares “Brazilian Merlot Is Always Welcome At My Table”
  • Terri at Our Good Life shares “Merlot Me with Noodless Lasagne”
  • Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Woohoooooooo….It is #MerlotMe month”