The Wine of Love, Vin Amoris by Vino Dessera
Vin Amoris is a very special wine from Vino Dessera. Winery owner Doğan Dönmez, in partnership with his oenological consultant Xavier Vignon, created this blend for his wife. I was able to try the 2015 vintage during a tasting on my first visit to the winery a few years ago. At the time, Vino Dessera had not released it commercially. Since then however, Dönmez released the 2016 vintage.
The wine has two labels: one a deep blue, the other burgundy in color. The same wine resides behind both labels. It seems that they couldn’t decide what they wanted to do for a label and put out a poll with a few choices. Apparently women overwhelmingly voted for the blue label and men for the burgundy. Since the votes looked to be split pretty evenly they decided to released both labels.
Vino Dessera Vin Amoris, 2016
The blend for the Vin Amoris includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, and Caladoc. Caladoc, a Grenache-Malbec cross, enjoys a surprising amount of popularity in Turkey’s Thrace. Vino Dessera raised the wine in oak for 20 months before bottling and it stayed in the bottle for a while as well before release.
Intense purple-ruby on the pour with a deep, inky color. The color wasn’t the only thing about this wine that was intense! The nose showed an equal intensity with rich aromas of blackberry, cassis, and blueberry, subtle vanilla, spice, pepper, cinnamon, sweet tobacco, and leather. Sipping revealed a full body with plushy antler fur tannins, medium acidity, and high (15% abv) but well-balanced alcohol. Flavors of berry pie filling, blackberry, and chocolate with a pleasant almandine bitterness on the finish.