Yedi Bilgeler Solon Attica
Spring has finally spring in Istanbul. We don’t have a lot of green in this city so every tender spring bud is a precious miracle. I’ve lived in cities before and vastly prefer them to swaths of farmland where I grew up. But I do like a happy medium between the concrete and crop jungles.
Regardless of where I’m living, one thing that does not change is how happy budding plants make me. Maybe its the rosemary, basil, and mint I just planted on my balcony, one tree on my street or the honeysuckle that seems to be growing out of the building behind mine. I find it all delightful. And there’s little more delightful than a budding vineyard.
Yedi Bilgeler Winery
Spring was well underway in southern Izmir when Istanbites and I visited Yedi Bilgeler winery. Located 10 short kilometres from the famous ruins at Ephesus, owner Bilge Yamen named his winery for the Seven Sages of ancient Greece. Which might seem like a strange thing for a Turkish winemaker to do. Until you remember how much of ancient Greece is physically located in modern Turkey.
During our visit, Yamen toured us around his beautiful winery and drew samples from tanks and barrels for us to taste. Then, to our delight, turned us loose in his vineyards with our cameras. Riotous wild flowers carpeted the vineyard and released their perfume as we tromped around trying to get just the right shot. Particularly as we’d come from the significantly colder Istanbul, these blooming vineyards and warm, early spring weather transported us into absolute fits of joy. Could be some of our high was also due to the considerably cleaner air. Our brains are accustomed to functioning on much less oxygen. 
As the winery’s name suggests, Yamen bestows the names of sages and wise men on his wines. My favorite blend from him is the Pythagoras and his Anaxagoras Chardonnay is one of my favorites in Turkey. One series I have yet to write about, although I certainly drink plenty, is the Solon Attica. Another from the Sages series is the Solon Attica which previously included varietal Malbec and Shiraz. This year Yedi Bilgeler debuted a 2019 Solon Attica Cabernet Franc. I am over the moon about this but want to give it a little time before I open such a young wine. So here we will tackle the Malbec, and the Shiraz.
Yedi Bilgeler Solon Attica Malbec Tasting Notes
Clear, deep ruby on the pour. While still young and developing, the Solon Attica Malbec was already showing hints of tertiary notes on the nose with tobacco joining aromas of cherry and sugar plum.
Dry, medium acidity and medium low tannin on the palate with medium alcohol at 13.8%, Yedi Bilgeler’s Malbec is, while I love it, pretty much all over medium. Flavors mimic the nose with clearly varietal sugar plum, blueberry, and tobacco.
Friendly, very nicely made, and a joy to drink if not particularly complex.
Yedi Bilgeler Solon Attica Shiraz Tasting Notes
Rich and fruity aromas tangled with spice wafted out of the Shiraz. Black pepper, clove, and leather intrigue while blackberry, black raspberry, and blueberry charm the nose. I associate the name “Shiraz” so deeply with the older Style of Australian wine with its heavy 
oak and over-baked fruit that I don’t look for “Shiraz” to be elegant. And yet. Eating crow can, on the occasion, taste delicious! For the Solon Attica Shiraz was indeed elegant.
Fresh and easy acidity burst with juicy berry fruits while smooth tannins slipped across my tongue carrying flavors of sweet spices and black pepper. Dark roasted coffee beans lingered for a finish that was not long enough to be “long” but that nonetheless had staying power. Medium bodied with medium alcohol at 13.3% abv. I had this wine at a local restaurant, Meat & Meet, where it paired beautifully with steak, roasted tomatoes, and caramelized onions.
There exist maybe a handful of wineries in Turkey about which I can easily and honestly say that each and every one of their wines is good. Yedi Bilgeler is one of those. I cannot wait to open the Solon Attica Cabernet Franc and try that!