After having been a bit intrigued by the last bottle of this wine I decided to give it another shot. I popped and poured it without decanting or delay, turned it a bit in a big glass and took a big sniff. There it is suddenly, clean cherry fruit, some sublte spice from the barrel. Fruit is also there on the palate, cherries, red and black berries, currant some liquorice. Tannins are fine-grained but unfortunately slightly drying out on the back-palate… Finish is rather short to medium with the impression of drying out tannins lingering on. There is a big contrast in this wine between a fruity front palate and a somehow blunt back of palate. So in the end the wine didn’t change much since the last time. It isn’t bad, actually quite a solid wine, but it shows flaws such as dry tannins and a slightly sour acidity. I guess I had too high expectations for this "Grande Cuvée". But it is for sure good company for food. 83

Christos Kokkalis ist vor allem in Deutschland als der griechische Kultwinzer schlechthin bekannt. Der ehemals in Mönchengladbach lebende Apotheker hat sich im West-Peloponnes einen Traum erfüllt und mit visionärer Attitude als Autodidakt ein Weingut aufgebaut. Vor allem sein Top Rotwein Trilogia - ein reinsortiger Cabernet Sauvignon - fand viel Anklang in der hiesigen Weinszene. Denn, soweit ich weiß, werden die Weine ausschließlich in Deutschland verkauft und sind in Griechenland selbst nicht oder kaum bekannt.

Doch auch seine einfache Cuvée „Mova“, ist mindestens im gleichen Maße spannend, da sie neben einem Cabernet Anteil zu 75% aus Agiorgitiko besteht, also eine der noblen griechischen Rotweinsorten, und dürfte an sich also noch mehr als sein große Bruder das Siegel der Typizität für sich beanspruchen.

Dunkle Farbe, fast schwarz mit violetten Reflexen. Eine sehr intensive, fast bizarre Nase nach Teer, als ob man mit geöffnetem Fenster an einer Autobahnbaustelle vorbeifährt. Oder verbrannter Reifen. Auf jeden Fall nicht abstoßend sondern interessant wirkend. Vielleicht erinnert die Nase auch an verbrannte Kräuter oder vertrocknete Oliven. Irgendwie sehr passend zum griechischen Osterfest an dem an vielen Orten in Hellas die Lämmer und Schafe auf offenem Feuer gegrillt werden. Die Landschaft mag dann so ähnlich riechen wie dieser Wein.
Am Gaumen eine schöne Struktur mit Tanninen die allmählich reifer und weicher werden. Auch sehr schön ist die Balance des Weins: Leicht bittere Noten die an Grapefruit erinnern und süße beerige Noten harmonieren miteinander, aber auch etwas herbere Töne wie Bleistiftmine mischen sich dem bei. Der Wein wird mit der Zeit saftiger. Der Nachhall zeigt sich mittellang mit frischen Noten. Eine leichte Citrus-Bitterkeit bleibt jedoch noch viel länger am Gaumen. Für mich ein schöner Wein mit viel Persönlichkeit der für meinen Geschmack deutlich am Anfang der 90 Punkte Range liegt. Denke auch, dass er so langsam seinen Höhepunkt näher kommt, kann mir aber gut vorstellen, dass er sich über 1 Jahr noch weiterentwickeln kann.

Mehr als überzeugt bin ich von diesem Weingut, und ich werde versuchen auch bald eine VN des Trilogia zu posten.

Christos Kokkalis is known as one of Greece’s top winemakers; Well, at least for us Germans, because as far as I know, this Greek pharmacist who once lived in Germany and came back for realizing his dream of a winery only sells his wines on the German market so far. His Cabernet Sauvignon named Trilogia was thus solely acclaimed by the German wine scene as being able to play in the league of great Bordeaux wines.

But his entry level wine, a cuvee named Mova, isn’t much less interesting. Being a cuvée of Cabernet and 75% Agiorgitiko, one of the noble Greek red varieties, it might even more than its big brother deserve the label of a typical Greek Terroir wine.

It is dark colored, nearly black but with purple gleams. The nose smells intensely, in a nearly bizarre manner even of Tar; like when you drive with open windows nearby a road construction site. On the other hand It could also be something like burnt rubber. Anyhow, it doesn’t smell repulsive, rather very interesting. Perhaps the nose also reminds the scent of burnt herbs or dried olives. As such it is reminiscent of Greek countryside air during Easter time, when families would gather to grill whole lambs and muttons on open fire.

On the palate ripening and mellowing tannins are lending a solid structure to the wine. There is a nice balance too: slightly bitter aromas reminding grapefruit are in harmony with fruitier berry flavors. But some more tart flavors like pencil lead are also included. The finish is medium long with some fresh notes. Slight grapefruit bitterness remains much longer though. This is a beautiful wine with lots of personality which clearly reaches the 90 points range for my taste. I believe that it slowly comes near to its peak, but on the other hand I can also imagine it to improve over another year.

Greek Wine again! This time from the Peloponnese region Nemea. Nemea is an ideal place for wine growing with the bright Greek sun on daytime and high elevations permitting grapes to cool down during nighttime. I heard that’s quite a good thing for having aromatic grapes.

Skouras Estate, which I visited some years ago, has built up a state of the art winery and grows autochthon grapes like Agiorgitiko but also international varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot. Their goal is, I assume, to create appealing Terroir wines with clear regional identity but also modern and elegant Cuvées which are able to compete internationally, in other words which are more or less aiming to match the “global wine taste”. Those last words sounded a bit dismissive, but the truth is I have perfect comprehension for it; every new wine region has to fight for attention by claiming its part of this global wine market. And it doesn’t necessarily mean the wines are bad.

But the bottle I opened here wasn’t a modern Cuvée, rather a 100% Agiorgitiko wine which was aged for 12 months in used French Allier wood barrels. Thus a pure Nemean growth ennobled by used wood which should result in a not too modernistic version of premium red wine.
The nose shows at first sniff a glue tone, which diminishes with time, but never completely disappears. Otherwise it is full of black fruit like currant and blackberries. On the palate very fine grained tannins which are still medium astringent , then comes sweetness with wild berry fruit; there is some heat; the structure seems a bit diffuse sometimes. My impression is that the fruit is about to lose its intensity and brightness whereas the tannin structure could still need some more ageing. Would be interesting to observe further development, I have the feeling fruit is starting to go down the hill here. But time will tell. All in all though this is a solid wine perfect for accompanying grilled meats and other Mediterranean delicacies. 84-85+?

(Update: TN October 2009)

Still looking forward to trying more Greek wines… In the meantime, here are some stills I took back in 2006


Skouras Winery

Dramatic Nemea landscape (not necesserily Skouras vines)

Some older vines

Closeup

Up the hills...

Again a Naoussa Grande Reserve by Boutari. After having tried the 1997, I now have the 2001 in front of me. Nose of sweet Plums, a touch of cinnamon and spices, maybe cloves and some violet. Let’s take a sip. Ew! Palate starts awfully, very bitter with green notes... Well I get it, should at least wait 15 minutes before drinking… Second try after 30 minutes. Now that’s better, the wine loosened up, has shaken off those bitter greenish tones and feels much rounder, almost like a Rhône wine. Finish feels kind of dusty though. This was apparently a more difficult vintage than the 1997. The 1997 reminded me a good Ribera, this one rather some above average aged Rhône wine. Tried it again on the second day then. Nose slightly reminds of caramel, plum is there, a Port-like aged tone, some cinnamon, a touch of Mon Chéri chocolate, later more blackberries, and also hint of freshness in the finish. Some astringency and also a slight bitter tone still persist. All in all quite enjoyable but not too complex in style. This is the right time for drinking this one, maybe it already passed its peak by a year. As for a rating: compared to the 1997 vintage this one is rather in the 86-88 range, the 1997 being in the 89-91.

I think I’ve mentioned before on this site that I have a thing for Greek wines. My conviction is that they’re the next big thing as a trend on the wine market. Or maybe they already are, since I’m not a professional market watcher. At least they amaze me, sometimes in practice with the actual pleasure I have in my glass, but sometimes just in theory with the huge potential this wine country has to offer with its climate, its diversity of terroirs and its richness of autochthon varieties.

One thing though I haven’t had confirmed yet concerning Greek wines is their ability to age which is an important criterion describing the “greatness” of a wine region in general. Think of Bordeaux’ and Burgundies: the whole fame of those regions is built on mythic wines from great vintages which are evolving over decades. When I try to remember the oldest Greek wine I had until today I think of something like 3 years of age.
But this was to change since I recently came across a bottle of 1997 Boutari Grande Résèrve from Naoussa.

But before we go further lets have some elucidation about Boutari. Those of you who already encountered Greek wines might say: Boutari? This Greek supermarket wine?

And in fact, to call Boutari a big winery nearly is a huge understatement. Not only is Boutari the biggest wine producer in Greece but also on a global scale it can be compared to companies like Mondavi or Gallo. And indeed, many of its wines can be found on supermarket shelves within Greece. Lame!? Not necessarly.

Offering mass produced supermarket wines might have a negative connotation, but one thing is sure, with offering those basic Greek wines, Boutari plays a great role in educating the world in Greek wines and Varieties, showcasing their quality, their diversity and their potential. Thus it’s the flagship of the Greek wine industry in general and deserves merit. Further I am convinced that Boutaris’ inexpensive wines beat many of the equivalent brands we can find on our European supermarket shelves.

But Boutari of course not only stands for mass produced supermarket wines. In several wineries they produce superior wines, employing all the techniques a top notch European winery would. In the Naoussa region for example, where Boutari played a pioneer role for the wine industry, the winery produces a Grande Résèrve of Xinomavro wine, which is the bottle I came across in a food store.

For elucidation again, Xinomavro is one of the 2 most popular autochthon red wine varieties in Greece, Agiorgitiko being the other. It is said of resembling wines from the Rhône, Burgundies, some other Pinots, of Bordeaux and also having quite some ageing potential. (more about Greek cultivars is here)

So let’s verify. I opened the bottle and poured a glass without decanting. The colour was dark red, but getting lighter to the sides which already revealed an aged wine. Nothing wrong with that - just a regular attribute of maturity.

The nose was a bit closed from the start, but then again I really didn’t give it lots of time to aerate. Later light fruit notes appeared as well as hints of liquorice and anise. With some time the barrel ageing was also detectable, but far away from an unpleasant wood tone. It actually just got better and better … but suddenly the bottle was empty. I wonder how a little decant would suit that wine?

For the palate though the wine didn’t seem to need long airing. It immediately showed nice blackberry fruit and liquorice. The structure was dense and loose at the same time. Tannins are still present but aren’t too harsh, they’re rather fine and giving a little grip, thus adding to the structure of the wine without being loud. The alcohol content of 13% isn’t surprisingly high for such a Southern wine region but still solid. It didn’t though appear in any bothering way and seemed to be well integrated. Finally A touch of acidity put everything in balance for obtaining a good wine: everything is there, nothing appears overdone.
Later, the fruit developed with notes of cooked plums, and the finish showed a sweet maltiness and further liquorice notes fading into a entirely satisfying length. Great!

This was a very enjoyable bottle clearly showing that there is ageing potential with Greek wines (Knew it ;)!) from the Naoussa region. Regarding the style of the wine, although I read that Xinomavro wines have been compared mostly to Burgundies and Rhône wines, I found that this one reminded me a bit more the Spanish Duero type of wine, although Rhône would basically also work as an analogy for me. But it has this dark fruits and dense kind of structure common to Ribeiros and actually I really would want to have it as a pirate in a Blind Tasting one day and see how it’s perceived.

Για μια πολύ συγκεκριμένη ήμερα για την Ελληνίδα φίλη μου, ήθελα να ανοίξω το κατάλληλο κρασί να κάνω μια πρόποση στην υγειά της. Για το σκοπό αυτό είχα μια φιάλη κόκκινο κρασί από την Πελοπόννησο, το οποίο, όπως και η φίλη μου, τα έχει τα χρονάκια του. ;=) .

Το 2001 Δαβαις του κτήματος Νικηφόρου παρουσιάζει στο ποτήρι έντονο και κομψό χρώμα. Δυστυχώς, δεν ξέρω από ποια ποικιλία σταφυλιού γίνεται αυτό το κρασί, αλλά υποθέτω πως περιέχει λίγο Αγιωργίτικο, γιατί είναι συχνό σταφύλι στην Πελοπόννησο.

Στη μύτη έχει έντονο άρωμα φρούτων με μαύρη κορινθιακή σταφίδα και λίγη πάπρικα που θυμίζει το είδος cabernet sauvignon. Επίσης έχει μια μικρή νότα βανίλιας που διατηρεί την κατάλληλη δόση από το άρωμα του ξύλου του βαρελιού.
Όσον αφορά τη γεύση η τανίνη είναι πολύ καλά και ομαλά επεξεργασμένη, χαρίζοντας έτσι στο κρασί μια φίνα δομή. Είναι ισορροπημένο και αφήνει μια υπέροχη γεύση που διαρκεί.

Να τον συνοψίζει με λίγες λέξεις, αυτό το κρασί ωρίμασε ωραία, σαν εσένα, αγαπητή Φαίη ;) Αν και εσύ είσαι πιο μεγάλη.. (αλλά όχι, εσύ είσαι πολύ πιό νέα και δροσερή απ' ότι ένα μπουκάλι κρασί 7 χρόνων ;) )

............................

This red wine from the Peloponnese is probably the oldest Greek wine I ever tried. Although 7 years isn’t quite much of an age, I was still curious how it developed; I know of course about the rising quality of Greek wines, but do they already have ageing potential? (Well, that’s nearly a rhetoric question actually) This wine could give an indication.

Unfortunately, I know nothing about the winery and couldn’t tell with certainty which varietals are used in this wine. I can only suppose that since it is one of the main red grapes of the Peloponnese, some Agiorgitiko could have found its way into this wine.

The colour is dark and elegant. The nose has a nice, not to overwhelming black currant perfume, with a slight paprika edge, which actually reminds a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Also a slight vanilla tone informs us about well-measured barrel ageing. On the palate it had very fine grained tannins, very smooth and elegant, yet perfectly structuring the wine by adding creaminess and texture. The same black currant aromas appear within this frame and create a perfectly balanced entity. Of course it is followed by a nice and long finish.

To sum it up, this wine has aged well, and could compete with many aged Bordeaux for example - The fruit is still there, tannins have mellowed and the whole wine has gained complexity.

More Greek wines please…

Αυτο ειναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντικο αρθρο για μενα γιατι ειναι το προτιμο που γραφω στα ελλινικα. Πρέπει να προειδοποιήσω οι Έλληνες
που διαβάζουν αυτό ότι έχω μόνο την πολύ βασική γνώση της γλώσσας.
Ο λόγος που προσπαθώ να γράψω στα ελληνικά είναι να τιμηθεί και να ευχαριστηθεί η φιλη μου Faye που μου παρουσίασε Ελλάδα και με πήρε στα κτήματα κρασιού καθώς επίσης και για να παρουσιάζει σεβασμό στη θαυμάσια καλά αυξανόμενη σκηνή κρασιού της Ελλάδας.

Το μπουκάλι που άνοιξα να αναθυμιέμαι την ανακάλυψη ελληνικών κρασιών μου είναι το 2003 Νεμεα από το πολυ σύγχρονο κτήμα Nicolas Repanis. Είναι ένα μπουκάλι που έχω επαναφέρει από την Ελλάδα στη Γερμανία για το άνοιγμα σε μια ειδική στιγμή. Τώρα από το καλοκαίρι δεν θα αρχίσει πραγματικά στη Γερμανία, αισθάνθηκα ότι θα ήταν σωστό να ανοιχτεί ένα μπουκάλι που θα μας έφερνε το καλοκαίρι της Ελλάδας.

Γίνεται από το τοπικη σταφύλι Agiorgitiko και αυξάνεται στο λοφώδες τοπίο Νεμεα στα ύψη μεταξύ 300 και 400 μέτρων. Αυτή η ποικιλία είναι μια που αντιπροσωπεύει για την δυνατη ανάπτυξη στην τελευταία δεκαετία στην Ελλάδα. Είναι καλά κατάλληλο για τους διεθνείς ουρανίσκους δεδομένου ότι είναι συγκρίσιμο στο ύφος με το merlot, αλλά έχει τη δυνατότητα να μεταφέρει και να απεικονίσει το ελληνικούς χαρακτήρα. Στην πραγματικότητα οι λόφοι Της Νεμεα θεωρούνται μια ιδανική θέση για την ποικιλία όπου τα φρούτα και η οξύτητα βρίσκουν ισορροπία

Το κρασί έχει ένα κομψό κόκκινο έως πορφυρό χρώμα. Στη μύτη τα αρωοματα του ειναι εντονα και θυμιζουν κόκκινων και μαύρων φρούτων. Μια νότα βανίλιας επιβεβαιωνοντας τα 12 μήνας που το κρασι έχει ωριμάσει
στα νέα δρύινο βαρέλια. Αλλά δεν είναι πάρα πολύ δρύινο, αρκετά ακριβώς να του δώσει μια αριστοκρατική αφή.Στον ουρανίσκο κάποιος χτυπιέται από την πολύ καλή δομή του. είναι ομαλό ως μετάξι αλλά συγχρόνως ειναι αρκετά πυκνό και ισχυρός. Τα φρούτα παρουσιάζεται έντονα πάλι και ισορροπούνται από μια ακριβή οξύτητα που δεν θα μπορούσε να υπολογιστεί δόση καλύτερα. Την επιγευση του ειναι μακριά και αφήνει ένα συναίσθημα της ικανοποίησης. Είναι αξιοσημείωτο ότι παρά το οινόπνευμα 13% το κρασί δεν φαινεται αφύσικο.
Συνολικά ηταν μάλλον ένα καλοψημένο κομψό κόκκινο που με παρουσίασε άλλη μια φορά ότι η Ελλάδα έχει πάρει το σωστό δρόμο και αρχίζει να είναι η επόμενη μεγάλη τάση στον κόσμο κρασιού.

Κοιτάζω προς τα εμπρός για να δοκιμάσω πολύ περισσότερο αυτών των ελληνικών κρασιών



PS: I hope it wasn't too bad Greek there. I really have big doubts concerning most of my sentences. Αχ αχ αχ...

The Papaioannou (Παπαϊωάννου) Estate in the Nemea wine region of Peloponese exists since 1876 and is today one of the most respected wineries in Greece. It is reknown for its efforts to reconcile vines and soil, introducing the Terroir-thinking in Greece. It is also known for initiating biological winemaking in the country. The winery focuses on Greek Indigenous varieties like Agiorgitiko and Assyrtiko but also cultivates international varieties like Chardonnay and Sauvignon. Their most rewarded, thus most popular wines are made of Greek varieties though.
During our roadtrip through Nemea region we passed by Papaioannou estate but didn’t stop there. Instead I bought a bottle of Papaioannou Sauvignon Blanc (named “Aristocracy”) in a wine shop in Nemea and took it back home. After it rested some months in the fridge I thought it would be nice to taste a cool Sauvignon for savouring the last days of sunshine. And concerning Sauvignon Blanc, I have a special idea of how it must taste (or could taste depending on the region) - so I was pretty curious of how a Greek Sauvignon Blanc will taste.
Oh! Actually this wine isn’t 100% Sauvignon since there is some 15 % Malagousia, an indigenous variety known to be very aromatic with medium acidity. Anyhow, I poured a glass.
The colour is a light, cool yellow. The nose is extremely intense, with smell of white blossoms, honey, some herbs and maybe a hint of anise. After catching this very fragrant and flowery nose, one would take it as an indicator for a palate which is very much alike, with a fruity body. But the contrast between the nose and the taste couldn’t be bigger: on the palate, this wine appears bone-dry. No flowery touch, no hint of honey - just a mineral note and a crisp acidity.
I instantly felt betrayed by the nose. And my conclusion also came more than rapidly: this wine isn’t made to be drunk alone. It’s not a genius soloist but rather a team player. This wine needs food in order to taste pleasant. And not any kind of food but hot and spicy food, like Asian Food for example. The strong taste of Asian dishes might smooth out a bit the dryness and the acidity might become quite refreshing combined with some hot chilli.
But actually I doubt that my thesis I right because I have to admit that all in all I think that this is not my kind of wine. And I don’t think that I am someone who only likes perfectly balanced wines. But here the contrast is too immense. I would love to hear the opinion of someone who is into bone-dry wines though. Will he or she bear the honey-sweet and flowery nose?
In the end I’d like to mention again that this isn’t the only Papaioannou wine and for sure not one of their most popular. When I have the occasion I’d love to try their Agiorgitiko reds and Assyrtiko whites. I’m sure they’ll satisfy me more


Papaioannou's organically grown vines

Chateau Lazaridi is located in Drama, a region in the Northern Greek part Makedonia where winemaking exists for some 5000 years. Nevertheless the brothers Nikos and Kostas Lazaridis have built in the late 1980’s a winery which stands for the renewal of winemaking in the Drama area; The Turkish occupation in the 19th century, the Balkan wars, Phyloxera and the second world war have nearly ruled out winemaking of this traditional region until then.
Today, Chateau Lazaridi is one of the most famous wineries in Greece and its omnipresence in supermarkets reminds the industrial character of some Californian producers. This Omnipresence however shouldn’t make one sceptical. Most of the wines are setting new standards in Greek winemaking and help erasing Greece’s image of a Retsina-producer for pitiful tourists.
Lazaridis has planted a big number of international and indigenous varietals such as Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Limnio (all reds) and Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Ugni Blanc and Roditis (whites of course). Thereby he tries to target more the international taste, but without omitting a certain Greek personality, or let’s better call it Greek Terroir.
In fact, Greece has numerous different Terroir’s due to various changes of topography from North to South and from East to West. Drama has a more continental climate with dry winters and cool summers. Its topography is more alpine than Mediterranean which distincts it clearly from other greek territories. It is no surprise then, that the wine we tried is named “Magic Mountain White”. It is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine with grapes grown at 200 metres altitude on a clay-based soil. When poured in a glass it has a bright yellow-golden colour. The nose is nice and flowery with distinct wooden undertones coming from the use of new oak barrels. The first impression on the palate is a very dry, classic style reminding some Bordeaux whites. Again, wood is one of the more clear flavours but it also has a zesty citrus note. As well it exhibits a fresh acidity but which is well balanced by the wood. Both acidity and wood together give a creamy honey like impression (without being sweet, more the generous “feel” of honey).
In one sentence: This Magic Moubtain is a solid white wine, more reminding classic dry winemaking style, although the intense wood has a more international connotation.
As for the food pairing, I guess it should go well with all spicy Asian dishes due to its zesty personality, but of course also with all spiced fish and seafood dishes.