Sevilen’s 2014 Isa Bey Chardonnay
It’s no secret how I feel about Chardonnay-basically I hate it. I enjoy a steel-aged Chardonnay but those are difficult to find in the US, finding one in Turkey is like finding a unicorn standing in a field of four-leaf clovers. However a friend of mine is a huge fan of Sevilen’s Isa Bey Chardonnay and at her prompting I tried a bottle.
Before we talk about the wine itself (35 TL from Carrefour, 69 from Solera) let’s talk about this particular line of Sevilen wines. Isa Bey means Mr. Jesus. Naming your wine after the guy famous for turning water into wine (if I but had a superpower!) is not a bad marketing gimmick.
As oaked Chardonnays go this was not horrendous. Which is about as ringing an endorsement as I will likely ever give an oaked Chardonnay.
While the Isa Bey Chardonnay looks like a darker yellow/gold in the picture that has more to do with lighting than the actual color which was paler than I expect from a Chardonnay. Being a 2014 it is a bit younger so I’m throwing out a guess that it did not spend a great deal of time in oak. The nose was light, faintly floral with citrus blossoms and green apple. On the palate it was crisp with lively acidity and a medium, slightly buttery finish. For me the overwhelming flavor aspect was green apple with undertones of citrus.
For those who like dry, oaked white wines but for whom your standard Chardonnay is too full bodied the Isa Bey Chardonnay is a good choice. It’s not a heavy white but is quite quaffable. I’m still not a convert but I will try some other Mr. Jesus wines this summer!