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Quinientos Dos (502) Vineyards Merzifon Karası: A Surprisingly Savory Sip

Disclaimer: This post includes wines received as a sample. All opinions are my own.

None of us had ever heard of the Black Sea grape Merzifon Karası before Likya debuted it as part of the winery’s Arkeo line.  It seems it took another winery being successful with the grape for Diren, actually based in the Black Sea, to take notice and start making its own (far less superior imo) version. Then last year, Quinientos Dos (502) Vineyards, a new Black Winery, debuted its wines, including a varietal and a blend Merzifon Karası. 

When I tried it last year (which you can read about here), I found a wild riot of earthy-fruity flavors with a hint of savory sandalwood perfume. When they sent me samples of the new vintage, it was exciting to see how they compared. While tempted to cheat, I didn’t look at my old notes before tasting the 2023, curious to see if I had the same impressions as I did of the 2022.

Quinientos Dos (502) Vineyards Merzifon Karası, 2023

Assuming this was made in the same manner as the previous vintage, the wine is a 50/50% blend of oaked and tank aged wines. A medium opaque, clear purple in the glass with initially fruit-forward aromas of berry hard candy and a red and black fruit carpeted forest. The palate gave the impression of subtle tannins and friendly acidity, like the effect of biting into a tart, juicy berry. Alcohol was rather high, at 14.1%, but generally well-balanced. 

I drank this with some friends and opinions were hugely divided, particularly about how flavors evolved in the glass. Earthy tones became more pronounced as the wine lived in the glass a little longer, evolving into a full-on savory umami-suffused tipple. There was plenty of fruit for sure, juicy raspberry, but also a smoky-meaty center. Like bacon-wrapped fruit. Ergo, the hugely divided opinions amongst my friends and I. 

After trying the 2023, I grabbed my bottle of the 2022 Quinientos Dos (502) Vineyards Merzifon Karası. I’d tapped it last year with a Coravin and kept the bottle so I thought it would be fun to open it properly. How much would it match my initial notes from last year? How would it compare to the 2023? No longer the fruit-bomb I noted from last year but an umami bomb! Even more so than the savory notes I found in the 2023, last year’s was soy sauce, mushrooms, and mesquit smoke with little fruit. I’m left wondering if this is how the wine ages naturally? Was it a cork/Coravin issue? It certainly was interesting whatever it was. 

Mert and Rifaa talk about the grape on their own 502 Vineyards blog if you want to read more about it. If you want to try their wines, you can easily find them at Mahzen 26 in Bostancı. 

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