Chateau Nuzun is a boutique winery an hour west of Istanbul. The winery is located in the middle of Cesmeli Vineyards which is about 14.5 hectare estate half of which is currently producing wine grapes. The vineyard was established in 2005 employing organic growing methods and an organic grower certificate was awarded in 2010. The first vintage was 2008. Half of the estate is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, one third with Merlot and the remaining area with Syrah and Pinot Noir.
The altitude of the vineyard is 110m to 140m, all facing south with a slope of 18% except Pinot Noir parcel which faces north with 8% slope. The soil is gravel and sand stones with layers of compacted clay and lime. The average temperature in July is 24.6 and in August 22.8 degree C. The yearly rainfall is about 550mm (in July =19mm, in August = 1.5mm, in September =19mm). The vines are not irrigated.
The predominant wind is from the north during the summer and from the south during the winter. The estate is located 5km from the Sea of Marmara, 60 km from Black Sea and 90 km from the Aegean Sea.
They believe that good wines can only be made from excellent grapes. Hence, they concentrate on good viticulture practices. They also believe that minimalizm is the way to go in winemaking: just to give a chance to vine-grape to thrive with no interventions.
