“Charming and delicious and so elegantly structured. Masses of delicate pleasure.” - Julia Harding MW for JancisRobinson.com

“Spicy and fragrant, it combines smoky raspberry and strawberry scents with a touch of chocolate. Fleshy cherry fruit and flecks of tobacco, herbs and spice emerge in the mouth, fresh and textured.”- Decanter Magazine

Xinomavro is our favourite Greek variety, which is probably because it tastes like a cross between Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo, two of our favourite grape varieties. This brilliant value example stopped us in our tracks at a wonderful Amyndeon wine tasting where it stood out for its haunting aromas.

The winemaker told us that low yields and a gentle extraction are key to the wine’s soft and mellow character, as the low yields confer intensity of flavour while the gentle maceration teases those flavour-packed molecules out of their shell without excessive force. The result is a wine with the bodyweight of a Pinot Noir and the aromatic lift of a Nebbiolo, simultaneously supple and juicy, showing morello cherry, strawberry, tomato leaf and dried orange with just a wisp of gunpowder smoke, like a November field at sunrise on the day after Guy Fawke’s Night. 12% alc. 6 months in French oak. Drink now-2028.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com (Julia Harding):“Mid to light cherry red. Highly distinctive and seductive aromas of sweet, partly dried, red fruit but also tangy and lightly peppery, not in the least overripe, nor underripe, the aroma seeming to swing from sweet to savoury, with a touch of stone dust adding refinement. The tannins are extremely fine and there is real delicacy here. Fresh, unusually gentle for a young Xinomovro. Charming and delicious, especially aromatically, and so elegantly structured by the tannins and the acidity. Good persistence and masses of delicate pleasure with sufficient structure for harmony and to age in the medium term. This was even better on the day after opening, suggesting it might be worth decanting or aerating it in the glass. (JH). Drink now-2026.” 16.5 points

Decanter: “Red fruit, sweet spice and herbal aromas. The palate has notes of bacon, liquorice and forest floor. Long finish.” 92 points

Amyndeon

As you might expect from us by now, this wine comes from a region adjacent to a more famous region. It hails from Amyndeon, which lies next to Naoussa, where some of Greece's finest and most expensive red wines are produced.

There is already something of a Klondike ‘gold rush’ for land in Amyndeon, as it shares topographical, geological and climatic similarities with Naoussa, but it sits at higher altitude, between 1,500 and 2,000 feet above sea level, which suits Xinomavro to a tee, because, like Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo, it’s a grape that benefits enormously from cool nights and warm days.

Techno, techno, techno…

Vines planted at 590–750 m on sandy soil. The grapes are hand-harvested, transferred to the winery in a refrigerated truck and are chilled to below 10 °C before they go into the pneumatic press. There, after being destemmed, they are left to cold soak for 4 days at 10 °C in order to maximise the extraction of colour and aromas. Fermentation lasts for 2 weeks at temperatures that do not exceed 26 °C, while pumping over is used for colour extraction. Malolactic conversion takes place in the tanks before the wine is transferred to oak barrels, where it matures for 6 months in 300-litre medium-grain and white-toasted French oak. After that time, the wine ages in the bottle for 12 months before being released into the market. pH 3.34, TA 6 g/l. RS 2 g/l.