Gaia Agiorgitiko 2005
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThe 2005 Agiorgitiko Gai'a Estate is a library wine for reevaluation. The price merely reflects current release prices. When first seen, this was rather good for what I was seeing at the time, if not quite up to the top of the brand, as the brand later developed. It didn't seem to be a long ager, though. Velvety and harmonious now, this has sensual texture and a caressing mouthfeel. Refined and elegant, it just feels sophisticated. That said, the fruit is showing some age. The bright red fruit is more along the lines of baked tomato now. I was a bit concerned about how this might age—apart from my normal conservatism. In a way, it is both justifying my concern as it hits age 15 and proving that I was too conservative—a good trick, right? By that I mean, the structure here will allow this to age for some time more, but I'm not sure the fruit will keep up as well.
Home of Greece’s famous and praise-worthy red variety, Agiorgitiko, Nemea is part of the Peloponnese.
Native the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece, Agioritiko is the star variety here and in fact, the only one permitted to carry the Nemea appellation. While it favors the hot Mediterranean climate of Greece, it performs best in Nemea’s high altitude mountain vineyards between 1,350 to 2,000 feet where fully ripe grapes can also achieve great acidity and structure. Somm Secret—As one of Greece's oldest varieties, wines made from Agioritiko were historically often associated with the half-god Heracules and referred to as the "Blood of Heracles.”