Exploring Bulgarian Wine (7) Katarzyna Wine
I tried the wines of Katarzyna at their wine shop and bar in Sofia. The winery itself is located in the southernmost part of Bulgaria in the Sakar region in the Thracian Valley, on the border with Greece and Turkey, 260 km from Sofia. All the grapes come from here.
This is a sizeable venture – a 750 hectare estate, with 350 hectares around the winery and the rest close by. It’s owned by Christoph Trilynski, who is from Poland, and lived for a while in Beaune. He was the creator of Belvedere vodka, which is where the funding came from for Katarzyna.
Katarzyna began in 2004 when they started planting the vineyard, a process that took three years to complete.
Whites are mostly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with a bit of Viognier. But this is primarily a red wine region. They have several international varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Malbec; Mavrud and Rubin as the indigenous grape varieties. First vintage was 2006. They claim to be the leading quality wine producer in Bulgaria, making 2 million bottles a year of which they export 35%. They process 2000 tons of grapes and sell the remainder of the grapes, as well as having a second production plant, where they receive another 1500 tons. They make a lot of cheaper wines and bag in box too (500 000 bag in box 2 and 3 litre packages, a trend in Bulgaria).
Even though they are a big winery, they make wine like a small winery, harvesting only by hand in small crates. The grapes are sorted, and fermented in 132 different smaller size tanks.
THE WINES
Katarzyna Contemplations Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Bulgaria
12.5% alcohol. Contemplations is the mid-level range, and the same wine is sold in six different labels in each vintage. There are four wines in this range, so each year they need 24 different labels. Manual harvest, sorting, destemming and crushing. A little bit of skin contact then low temperature fermentation and ageing in stainless steel. Lively, bright and showing nice energy, this has some nice grassy notes and a touch of elderlower, with a core of sweet citrus, finishing with good acidity. Nice fruit intensity to this wine, which has lovely focus. 90/100
Katarzyna Cheval Chardonnay 2023 Bulgaria
30% of the wine ages briefly in oak. Bright and fruity with some pear and peach fruit as well as some citrus brightness. Has a hint of aniseed. Nice finesse here with lovely balance and some good acidity. 90/100
Katarzyna Chardonnay 2018 Bulgaria
Barrel-fermented, this is the top range. There’s some toast and spice here under the attractive nutty pear and peach fruit. Shows some restraint and has developed in a nice crystalline sort of way. Has some savouriness, and a hint of smokiness and some distinctive truffle character. 91/100
Katarzyna Mezzek Merlot Malbec Syrah Rosé 2023 Bulgaria
13% alcohol. This is an entry-level wine. Very pale pink, with subtle aromatics of cherry and lemon. The palate is fruity and lively with some nice bright citrus, a touch of pear and then some nice acidity. There’s some fruit sweetness but overall this is quite dry. Has some wet stone on the finish. 87/100
Katarzyna Cheval Mavrud 2022 Bulgaria
14.5% alcohol. This is an entry-level range, with just single-variety wines. Mavrud is a flagship variety grown widely in the Thracian Valley, with small, dark berries often resulting in extracted wines. They do a 7 day cold soak, then ferment in stainless steel, with a week’s post-ferment maceration. 30% has brief oak ageing. Fruity, supple and vivid with nice balance and weight, showing sweet black cherries and plums, with good freshness and some appealing sour cherry on the finish. Lovely fruit, with a nice green hint. 92/100
Katarzyna Contemplations Merlot Malbec 2023 Bulgaria
14.5% alcohol. From better plots of Merlot (70%) and Malbec (30%). 8-10 months aged in oak. 30% is fermented in oak. Nice intensity here with bright cherry and berry fruits with a floral twist, and some hints of pepper and olive. Lovely fruit intensity here with a primary quality. Youthful and delicious with nice acidity keeping everything brightly in focus. Has some tannic grip on the finish, but good to go now. 93/100
Katarzyna Art et Amour Cabernet Franc 2021 Bulgaria
Supple and fresh with nice sweet cherry and blackcurrant fruit, with a subtle spicy framing and good acidity. This is really fresh and pure with ripeness but also good acidity. Such an expressive Cabernet Franc. Stylish stuff. 93/100
Katarzyna Rubin 2022 Bulgaria
This is one of the three premium wines they make. Rubin is a Shiraz/Nebbiolo cross. 70% fermented in oak barrels of 400 litre. Malolactic is done in barrel, and it is aged 10 months. 40% new oak. Lovely depth here with a core of sweet cherry and raspberry fruit as well as a little blackberry. There’s a bit of oak spice but it integrates well. Ripe and polished but with good definition and a fine spicy finish. Expressive and delicious. 93/100
Katarzyna Mavrud 2022 Bulgaria
This has thicker skins than Rubin, but is made the same way. It’s a late-ripening grape. This is ripe and supple with a core of sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit, as well as some green hints. Nicely structured with a twist of bitterness offsetting the bold black fruits. Supple and quite delicious. 92/100
Katarzyna Late Harvest Shiraz 2016 Bulgaria
15% alcohol. This is very sweet, like a fresh ruby-style Port or a very fruity Banyuls with black cherries, red berries and a subtle hint of spice and tar. It’s pure and quite fresh with lovely sweet fruit and a bit of evolution. Very stylish. 93/100
