The Syrahs of Suvla
After six years of living in this country, my Turkish language is still pretty crap. Partially because my day job is conducted 98% in English and because my Turkish friends all speak English far better than I speak Turkish. Really though, it’s just a terribly difficult language and my mind seems to reject all its weird grammar structures. I’ve studied Turkish over three different periods at three different language schools. Each time I restart, I get bumped down to a beginner level course and have to work my way back up to the advanced classes
Wine, Like Language
Many think learning a language with a different alphabet is scary and difficult. Unfortunately, learning the new alphabet is usually the easiest part and everything after that becomes more complex. Wine is equally complicated. There’s entry level, mid range, upper, premium, etc., etc. Entry level wines are usually as simple as language basics. Then come the mid range wines. As with verb conjugations and declensions, their aromas and flavors take a little more time to figure out. Then you graduate to super premium wines which, to continue the simile, are like advanced language skills with specialist vocabulary and the linguistic subtleties that mark you as a near native speaker.
Turkish producer Suvla produces many of its wines at these multiple levels. One can find most of them at the entry, reserve, and grand reserve levels. I thought it might be fun to try a one of these series so recently I invited over some friends, put out some snacks, and opened three of Syrahs from Suvla.
Suvla 2015 Syrah
Suvla’s entry level wines are great value for price wines and this Syrah follows suit. Medium-bodied with 14.5% abv that reflects Gelibolu’s warm climate and full sun exposure. After some minimal oak aging the wine went directly to the market without further aging. The nose unfolded bramble fruits, burnt sugar, licorice, and coffee. A sip revealed more secondary flavors with lots of coffee and caramel and elegant tannins.
Easy to drink without sacrificing flavor. This little number paired well with garlicky flavors, sweet potatoes, and truffled almonds.
Suvla 2011 Reserve Syrah
Moving up the line, if jumping around chronologically, we next tried the 2011 Reserve Syrah. With which we also moved up the alcohol ladder for a full 15% abv. The reserve aged for 12 months in oak barrique and a further three to six months in the bottle before release. The deep garnet color of the wine hinted at the fullness and complexity therein. It began with coffee, licorice, and forest underfloor then opened up to black currents with touches of clove, black pepper, and leather. Structured tannins, balanced acid, and a mouthful of savory goodness greet you when you drink. I really loved this one. There’s so much coffee flavors here I feel I could justify this for breakfast.
Suvla 2012 Grand Reserve Syrah
This is a cold evening in front of a fireplace kind of wine. Big and rich aromas of dried fruits followed by carob, crushed thyme, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and leather. Velvety tannins filled the mouth with bold and jammy fig preserve flavors. The Grand Reserve continued to develop in the glass, eventually revealing flavors of caramel and espresso.
This went very well with tangy, hard goat and cow cheeses.
It’s not only Suvla’s Syrahs you can find at different levels like this. Look also for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot as well as indigenous wines like Yapıncak and Karasakız. The latter two of which also come in traditional method sparkling wines.