Vinolus Emir Roussanne
Kayseri has developed a reputation for having some great food in Turkey. Manti – the tiny yogurt-topped Turkish ravioli – comes from here. Kayseri also grows most of Turkey’s apricots. You may also know it as the city that hosts one of the two airports you can fly into to visit Cappadocia. But wine? Not so much.
And yet! If you leave the massive expressway that runs through the area and take a bumpy drive away from “civilization” you trade a panorama of gas stations and whizzing cars for a seemingly secret land of trees and greenery. Here, tucked away in the verdant expanse of countryside sits one of my favorite wineries,* Vinolus. Owned and operated by Oluş Molu, Vinolus cultivates a blend of local and international grapes in high altitude, largely volcanic soil vineyards. One variety Molu grows here is Roussanne. Rare but not unheard of in Turkey. In the past few years she has made a 100% Roussanne wine which, in my less than humble opinion, is one of the most beautiful white wines made here.
For 2019 the Roussanne harvest did not yield a great crop. Rather than produce a tiny amount of the varietal Roussanne, Molu tried something else. She bought in Emir grapes from not so far away Cappadocia to blend with her Roussanne. Emir is one of the principal white varieties of Turkey, native to Cappadocia which, like Kayseri, has high elevations, a cold continental climate, and volcanic soils. One of my favorite grapes, Emir is known for its high acidity and citrussy, green apple, and white rose aromas, but even more so for the streak of minerality that gives its wine a distinctively “salty” flavor.
The result was a very special wine. Although, unfortunately, still made only in a very small quantity.
Vinolus Emir Roussanne, 2019
The blend contains 55% Roussanne with 45% Emir. The wine aged for seven months in French barrique. My guess would be fairly neutral oak at that.
The wine poured a bright lemon shot through with green highlights. On the nose I detected lots of lovely citrus aromas. Lemon blossom and lemon curd but also notes of ripe peach and nectarine all wrapped in flaky pastry.
A hint of effervescence tickled the tongue along with a burst of exuberant acidity. All those lovely lemony flavors sensed on the nose followed on the palate along with a streak of vibrant minerality and a long peachy finish misted with vanilla. Dry and medium-bodied with medium alcohol (13% abv), that initial effervescence gave way to some mid-palate weight and roundness.
All summer I have been obsessed by this mixed greens/lemon basil/red onion/peach/burrata salad dressed with balsamic vinegar glaze. With its lemon and peach flavors, the wine complimented it beautifully.
*Can one have 50 plus favorite wineries?! I feel like every other Turkish winery is my “favorite” but they’re all so different it’s hard not for them to all be!