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New White Wines from Kuzubağ

 

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Last year I fell in love with Kuzubağ wines. They came out of the gate with seven very successful and reasonably priced (a miracle here these days) wines. Kuzubağ has returned with its sophomore vintage now and it’s already looking very promising.  They’ve added new wines to the stable this year, both white and reds. I still love all the white wines from their freshman vintage so I immediately snapped up two of the new ones: a Bornova Misketi and a Çal Karası blanc de noir.

Kuzubağ, part of the Çal Bağ Yolu, is located in the Çal district of Denizli in Turkey’s inner Aegean. The winery’s vineyards sit at an elevation of 850 meters in clay-loam and calcareous soil. Given the elevation, there’s a great difference between day and night temperatures allowing grapes to ripen over a longer period while retaining their freshness. Here they grow a range of native and international grapes, including of course the local Çal Karası. 

Kuzubağ Misketi, 2022

The wine poured a pale, silvery lemon, releasing a properly aromatic bouquet smacking of the Muscat grape family. A tangle of white roses and orange blossom mingled with ripe melon and yuzu with underlying lemongrass. On the palate, flavors were less intense than they presented in the nose, but still very pleasant. Citrus flavors outshone the flowers here with yuzu and grapefruit joined by delicate peach blossom and unripe peaches. 

Medium-bodied with bright acidity and a surprising 14.5% alcohol. Did not at all feel the alcohol though making this a pretty dangerous wine!

Kuzubağ Çal Karası Blanc de Noir, 2022

Following the growing trend of making blanc de noir wines with native grapes, this year Kuzubağ has given us a new blanc de noir Çal Karası. Papzkarası has been the most popular choice for this style of wine, previously, I believe the only other Çal Karası blanc de noir came from Paşaeli (which you can read about in this post). 

Pale, silvery, but ever so subtly peach-colored in the glass with aromas that really seemed to echo the color. Ethereal orchard blooms, apricot, and peach with just the lightest splash of cream. The palate presented a more citrusy character with dashes of unripe stone fruit. Medium-bodied with nice acidity, 13.5% alcohol and a textured mouth feel. Really nice.

There’s also a new Fumé Blanc. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s out there!