Saranta Chateau Murou Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
I first learned about Saranta Vineyards at the 2017 Sommeliers’ Selection Turkey event. Then for some six months after said event I waited on tenterhooks for Istanbul shops to start carrying the wines. Since then I’ve visited the winery twice, interviewed their winemaker, and become an even bigger fan of the wines than started out being.
Not one to ignore the importance of the visual appeal of a bottle, I fully admit that sometime I buy wine based on how much I like the label. And how do you not love Saranta’s Chateau Murou line labels? The style is the same for all but each grape is designated with a different color: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot different shades of red, Syrah purple, Cabernet Franc purple, and (as of the newest vintage) Chardonnay gold. I like shiny things.
Saranta Vineyards
Located in Kırklareli, basically across the street from the Vino Dessera winery, Saranta is a winery and soon to be luxury boutique hotel. In order to encourage tourism, and make up for the fact that many wineries are located no where near anything else, wineries are capitalizing on the complete wine-gastronomic-spa experience and building onsite hotels.
As a vineyard and winery, Saranta seems to be a beacon of idealism. They source grapes from either their own vineyards or from nearby producers. They are the first working with Öküzgözü grapes specifically from the Kırklareli area. Other producers source them from further regions in Turkey meaning they have no quality control over the fruit when it’s harvested and have to accept fruit that may have been badly damaged by traveling thousands of miles.
Saranta produces two lines of wine. The Saranta line is their entry level label with wines that emphasize fruit flavors and are meant to be drunk upon release. The Chateau Murou line includes the winery’s premium wines. All the red wines in this line are aged in French oak barrels that have a light to medium toast.
Saranta Chateau Murou Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Tasting Notes: 
While the Saranta label Cabernet Sauvignon sees no oak aging, the Chateau Murou spent 11 months in French oak. This 14% ABV wine is a deep, inky red with a nose as beautiful as the color. The nose is fruit-led with black currants and black plums. Well-integrated secondary aromas from the oak, including vanilla, sweet spices, and a little cola compliment but do not overwhelm the fruit character while a bright green, herbal (I’m going with mint here) keeps the bouquet fresh.
Beautifully structured on the palate with velvet tannins, balanced acid, and a long finish. The fruit here is somewhat brighter than on the nose. Personally I liked that quite a lot. I enjoy the Christmas pudding aromas and flavors as much as the next person but I don’t want every oaked red wine I drink to be that. The expression of the Kırklareli terroir really came through on the flavors lending the palate that edge of mineral Kırklareli wines so often display.
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the grapes on which Saranta originally focused and their enthusiasm for this grape is obvious in the care they take with the wine. It is not their only focus though. Saranta will soon be premiering wines from the native Papazkarası grape and a 100% Semillon. Which, if the sample we tasted from the tank is any indication, is going to be brilliant.