Domaine Karydas Xinomavro 2012
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Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Naoussa, the Estate Xinomavro was aged for 24 months in French oak (60% used, the rest new) and comes in at 14.2% alcohol. A single-vineyard Xinomavro from the family estate in Gastra, Naoussa, this is the latest offering, not yet in the USA (in fact, the review on the 2011 just came out last issue). Karydas is one of the few producers who actually seems to like the 2012 better than the 2011. The latter is generally considered to be a rather great vintage--but also one with a hard edge that has to be put away for a while. The 2012s, by contrast, tend to be riper, lusher and easier to approach, a little more consumer-friendly in the short term. This is sure plenty ripe and rich, very concentrated and rather lush. That said, the power lurks underneath and it is also very fresh with plenty of power on the finish. A lot of 2012s don't seem so fresh. This is surprisingly approachable--many 2012s are--but it still could use a couple of years in the cellar. Maybe it will close down, but it doesn't seem too far away just now. I suspect that, when all is said and done, the unevolved 2011 has a pretty good chance of overtaking this, but that may not be clear for several years.
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Wine & Spirits
A rich xinomavro from a warm, dry year, this feels mellow and mature, the tannins round and firm, the fruit smoky and slightly caramelized. It’s balanced for drinking now with a stifado, a cinnamon-scented beef stew.
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Over 20 years ago Konstantinos Karydas established Karydas Estate in Ano Gastra, one of the most well-known grape-growing regions of Naoussa. His immaculately kept six acres of Xinomavro vines are planted on the hill of Gastra in sandy, clay and limestone soils, noted for their good drainage. In 1994, he built his winery in the middle of the vineyard and, shortly thereafter, his son Petros joined him to produce his first vintage under his own label. Their mission is to produce an old school, traditional single-vineyard Xinomavro with very little intervention. Strive for precision grape-growing and focused terrior-driven wines that are bold and exciting.
Native to Greece, Xinomavro is widely regarded the finest red wine of the country. Its name literally means “acid black”, and attains fullest potential in the country’s northwest region of Naoussa. These single varietal bottlings of Xinomavro (blending is not allowed here) are often compared to the fine Barolos of Italy for their structure, finesse and age-worthiness. While its vines are fickle and blue-black grapes grow in tight clusters, similar to Nebbiolo, Xinomavro actually appears unrelated. Somm Secret—The use of French oak can help tame Xinomavro but too much can overwhelm it. Some eschew oak entirely during winemaking; other producers use locally-grown walnut.
Naoussa is home to one of Greece’s most age-worthy reds: Xinomavro. Flourishing on the sun-exposed, southeastern-facing slopes of Mount Vermio between 700 to 1,700 feet in elevation, some say Xinomavro is Greece's red counterpart to its famous white, Assyrtiko. Others liken it to Italy's well-respected, highly perfumed and powerful, Nebbiolo.