Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Kostis Dalamara pulls this wine from his oldest vineyard, a patch of ungrafted vines that his family has shepherded for nearly 100 years. The age of the vines comes through in the concentration of the fruit, the dark berry flavors compact and laden with spice, yet the wine feels lifted, refreshed by the herbal notes that sweep through the wine. It lasts, held firm by tannins that are suffused with flavor, almost chewy in their density.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
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.