Winemaker Notes
This 100% Xinomavro wine is surprisingly suave, polished and loaded with finesse. Filled with aromas of wildflowers and ripe, red berry fruits with mineral notes, this wine shows silky tannins, fresh acidity and an impressively long finish. Vines planted in limestone soils are situated at 750-890 meters elevation and yield a low 1 Kg per vine. Two-day pre-fermentation cold soak, 13–16-day fermentation in steel tank, and 12-24 months aging in old, 500-liter oak barrels all combine to make this wine expressive, “fruit-forward” and noble.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Pale ruby. Hugely attractive nose with roses, bright cherries and hints of oak. Refined on the palate with a strong vein of acidity cutting through the wine’s cashmere tannins. Lovely focus and potential here.
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.
As one of the few continental-climate, mountainous growing areas of Greece, Macedonia produces notable, high-quality red wines. Xinomavro is its star variety, capable of making a spicy and age-worthy red.