Doluca Cabernet Sauvignon Sarafin

Took 1 hour to open up. Colour still very bright. Drinking at peak. Beautiful dark berries, vanilla, licorice. Everything is well integrated. A powerful, alcoholic style. Nice!

Colour moving towards ruby-garnet. Inky nose with liquory black fruit beautifully complemented by cedary tones, beef juice and roasted herbs. The palate is still tight and tannic, testifying to a strong structure. Cassis and cedar tones. Alcoholic, ripe, medium to full-bodied, acceptable balance. Not very persistent though. My best experience with this wine so far. Has probably entered the peak window. Should age and drink well for another 4-5 years at least. 87-88

This wine has not evolved much since last time I drank it. Crimson colour. Nose is dominated by oak, vanilla; the red and dark berries hidden behind take some time to appear, and still seem a little restrained even with areation. I detect some Corinthian raisin and licorice aromas too. Palate is relatively polished (at least for a Turkish wine), with an average concentration and a near-medium finish, and still rather tight tannins. Overall this is a good, non-complex wine, …

Crimson colour. A huge load of oak on the nose, with air it becomes more balanced with tones of black fruits as well as peppery and spicy hints. Youthful and straightforward. Medium + body, good acidity and medium tannins, some alcohol heat. Not much length. Has a little more concentration than lower priced Turkish wines, but still one can wonder what justifies the price tag (about 17€). New World styled Cab with no distinct personality. I don't see this evolving …

Garnet colour. Expressive nose of cassis and black cherry, hints of vanilla, opens up after about 45 minutes. The mouth is medium to full-bodied, with very ripe fruit, high alcohol, some tannins, relatively well integrated and smooth from the attack to the finish, with refreshing acidity. Short+ finish. The wine spent 14 months in oak. A pleasurable wine that seems perfectly mature at this stage. New World style. Not very good value though, even at the discounted price of 17€ …