An Unexpected Blend from Gordias
I thought I’d had all of Gordias’s wines. The I stumbled across a picture of this blend on the winery’s Instagram feed. A wine I hadn’t had?! Clearly, I had to rectify this situation.
Not only had I never had this particular wine from Gordias but I’d never had this wine from anyone. The blend was something entirely new to me. Not only is a blend of Turkish grapes Kalecik Karası and Boğazkere extremely uncommon, Gordias owner and winemaker Canan Gerimli then threw in some Merlot. Because, why not?
Gerimli pulled grapes for this wine from several locations around Turkey. The Boğazkere came from its ‘home’ in Diyarbakır, the Kalecik Karası from her vineyards, and the Merlot from Marmara. Made with little to no oak ageing (Gerimli is not a fan), this was bound to be something interesting.
Gordias Kalecik Karası Merlot Boğazkere, 2012
Kalecik Karası-lead with 40% followed by 35% Boğazkere and 25% Merlot.
Medium intense garnet in the glass with a pale rim. I find that Gordias wines have a very recognizable earthiness to both the nose and palate. This blend was no different. In addition to red fruits, bay and black currant leaf, and clove, the nose gave off very distinct aromas of mushroom and mossy wood.
That earthiness hit the palate immediately followed by herbal flavors and fruit that leaned more black than red (black mulberry and currant). It offered tannins that were smooth and low but present and lasting along with mouthwatering acidity and medium (13.5% abv) alcohol.