Nif Reserve Montepulciano 2013
Nif Vineyards might look slick and modern – in fact it’s one of the prettiest wineries here I’ve visited – but at its heart it’s a small, family venture. Started in the mid aughts by the Özcan family, the story of Nif Vineyards really belongs Gaye Özcan. She is the driving force behind the winery.
Bottled Happiness
Gaye grew up in Istanbul but her father’s family is from Izmir. Tired of the frenetic city and wanted to connect more to nature she chose to study agriculture at Izmir’s Ege University. While at school she decided she wanted to restart her grandfather’s farm (now planted with vineyards). As no one in the family had any strong preference for what they wanted to do with the land Gaye, a winelover, settled on wine.
After completing her program in Izmir Gaye studied oenology in Fresno, California. From there she went on to intern at vineyards in Napa and Carneros then worked in both Australia and New Zealand. She capped it all off with an Old World tour before returning to Turkey in 2012. Just in time for Nif’s first harvest.
Nif Vineyards is one of the more beautiful wineries I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. It’s very slick and modern but still produces at a boutique level with a 70-80,000 bottle capacity. One of my favorite things about this winery is the grape varieties on offer. When she first began this project, everyone told Gaye that she needed to make a Bordeaux blend to be successful on the market…so she made Sangiovese. Then she followed that up with Montepulciano.
Nif Reserve Montepulciano 2013 Tasting Notes:
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Montepulciano. This is not a grape we see often in Turkey. In fact, Nif Vineyards might be the only ones currently making wine with it.
The nose on this is stunning and is a testament to Nif’s ability to balance good fruit with oak ageing to produce a wine worthy of the ‘reserve’ title. While there’s evident fruit on the nose it is the secondary aromas that star. Black currants, ash, leather, tobacco, and coffee make up a deep and complex nose.
The balance on the Nif Reserve Montepulciano is such that you hardly notice the high alcohol content (14%) making it something of a dangerous wine! Silky tannins twine around a strong acidic backbone providing symmetry and balance to the palate. Plump black fruits melt into a long finish of caramel coffee budino.
Happy #Nifing!