Saranta Chateau Murou Sauvignon Blanc
Just in time for international #SauvBlancDay, my new favorite Turkish Sauvignon Blanc: Saranta Chateau Murou Sauvignon Blanc.
This is a hugely popular grape in Turkey. I don’t, unfortunately, have any figures, but Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay definitely compete for the most popular white grape here. The majority of wineries boast at least one in their catalogue. It comes as a varietal and in blends. Sauvignon Blanc here ages in stainless steel and displays a crisp and racy character. We’re also seeing more and more oak raised “fumé blanc” styles. One winery even has a botrytized sweet Sauvignon Blanc. The only thing we’re missing is a sparkling!
Saranta has been making Sauvignon Blanc in Kırklareli since the winery opened. Always they have bottled it under the winery’s eponymous label ‘Saranta’. Just at the end of 2020, Saranta released a new Sauvignon Blanc under its higher-end ‘Chateau Murou’ label. And wow.
Saranta Chateau Murou Sauvignon Blanc, 2017
Bright medium straw in the glass with gold tones. The nose. The nose!!! Oh. My. Goodness. It was a little shouty in the way that New Zealand Sauv Blanc can be but I love their wines so I did not mind. This one grabbed its tropical and citrus fruit flag and waved it vigorously. Gooseberry, pomelo, and lime, along with flecks of quartz and flint so often found in the white wines from this region. In the mouth it was clean, linear, mouthwatering, and very dry. The wine sang with those fruits from the nose and added flourishes of peach blossom. Loooong finish.
After I drank the wine the first tome I promptly ordered several more from the winery. Which meant I was able to open a second bottle and serve it with food. I prepared chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, walnuts, and lemon zest with sauce, charred green onions, and fried zucchini rounds dressed with garlic and lemon zest. Perfection.