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Saranta Chateau Murou: Another Blanc de Noir Papazkarası

Really, what is the obsession some of the upper Thracian wineries seem to have with making blanc de noir wines with Papazkarası? Sure, some of them are pretty nice. My personal favorites being those from Chamlija and Arcadia. And yes, it’s great to see experimentation with the native grapes. Especially as this seems to be the only Thracian native grape going.

Why do I have such a viscerally negative reaction, then, when I see a new blanc de noir Papazkarası? Even I can’t answer that. I like to see a new blanc de noir Çal Karası. Maybe it’s because I feel sure that there must be a native white grape floating around somewhere in the vicinity. Greek and Bulgarian Thrace certainly have a fair amount of native grapes; how can we not?? At least the very good wineries are also making red wines. In fact, the Saranta Chateau Murou Papazkarası is one of my favorites. Somehow it annoys me less that they did the blanc de noir since they came out with the red first. Why, who know the twisted workings of my brain. Surely not I. 

Saranta Chateau Murou Blanc de Noir, 2022

One thing I do find interesting about blanc de noir Papazkarası; the wines are always a brilliant, pale gold/lemon. Possibly because of the lower anthocyanin count in the grape?  These wines do not have that peachy tinge one often sees in this style. 

Lightly tropical on the nose with notes of banana and melon decorated with freshly squeezed citrus and petals. The palate offered a pleasant and spritzy attack, which was the most remarkable thing about it for me. Tropical flavor impressions and lemon peel oil, but very light, no intensity. Overall, medium-bodied with medium plus acidity and moderate (13%) alcohol.

It did go quite well with asparagus which is quite a trick to pull off!

My take is that this was nice enough, but I’d not personally buy it again. Knowing what Saranta’s prices are like, I found this pleasant, but too simple for the entry fee.