4 | Wine | Greece | Page 4

"Moschofilero is the flourishing grape of the Mantinia plateau in the Peloponnese. An area that allows the grape variety to truly express its charming characteristics of fine aromas of spring flowers, lemon, orange blossoms."

"The “Axia” level wines are often excellent values here – and this in fact may be the bargain of the lot. With a lush texture opening up, followed by some tannic bursts and very typical, Northern Rhone-y Syrah nuances, this wine shows both power and complexity. It should have the ability to hold a reasonable time in the cellar and develop more. If you’re not a big fan of those Northern Rhone gamey Syrahs, this isn’t for you, as the Syrah notes dominate the wine, but for those who are fans, this is a fine value and a terrific wine with that Xinomavro steel and power underneath that Syrah character. This is a real nice buy."

"The 2004 Vinsanto is the eagerly awaited successor to the 2003, which showed more and more class every time I saw it (94 points, Issue 186). This, clocking in at just 9%, could even be better. On first attack, it is remarkably sweet and incredibly delicious (as always). It was just so delectable, it was hard to resist. I wanted to stop tasting and start drinking, but I bravely saved some to sample over the next few days. But that's not all it has and it is by no means a syrupy fruit bomb - it is anything but and well made Vinsanto rarely is. In fact, phase two kicked in pretty fast. The acidity is powerful and it balances the sugar out beautifully. It actually has a mouthpuckering finish early on. There is also tension and intensity on the finish that makes this quite gripping. This is still a baby. If you want to drink it now - you'll find many rewards for doing so. It sure is approachable. But in terms of developing character, it is not showing even a small part of what it will show. These age well (and the drinking window of the 2003 should probably be extended) and with this level of, well, everything, it has the potential to outlive a lot of us. The next day it was slightly richer, even more gripping, longer on the finish and every bit as fresh. On Day 3, it seemed largely unchanged, hardly budging. I'll be reasonable at the moment. Drink now-2050."

"Solid in the mid-palate, it is a wine that handles its oak well at this point in its life, showing a fairly light touch. Bright, with some penetration on the finish, it has good persistence and it is quite tasty. For those who go with the flow when it comes to oak and Assrytiko, this is well done."

"Since my last note on this, in which, for whatever reason, I fear I seriously underrated this wine, it has evolved slowly, but it shows well enough to be less disjointed, with additional fruit intensity on the finish and plentiful hints that better integration of its parts will definitely be in its future. There is also the occasional whiff of game, while the oak nuances are very modest, giving this some earthy complexity. It is still a powerful and somewhat rustic wine, which is not necessarily a bad thing in my book, and indeed, this continually grew on me. Elegant in the mid-palate, it opened easy and then packed an increasingly tannic punch on the finish, adding some crisp, tart notes early on. It was not the most charming Xinomavro at that point, but it evolved slowly and relentlessly, drinking beautifully the next day, still a prime time wine with plenty of time left. If you like its somewhat rustic but appealingly earthy style, this is for you, and quite well priced in light of the quality and ageworthiness."

"The 2011 SANTORINI is Assyrtiko, and a rather refined and carefully crafted one that slowly evolves and unwinds, demonstrating its persistence and the ability to improve dramatically in the glass. Boutari seems to have a style, emphasizing harmony and balance, if I can add insights from what I see in Naoussa as well. This is always a more forward Santorini, without the pure power some of the others often show. If this starts with subtlety, however, it gradually becomes more impressive this year as it lingers in the glass and unfolds, showing layers, crispness and persistence that I wasn’t initially sure it had. This is a very fine performance if rather low key performance in this vintage, a harmonious, well balanced offering with surprisingly good aromatics, perhaps tinged by a hint of herbaceousness. For Assyrtiko, this has a lot of personality. I didn’t start out impressed, but it was hard to give up the glass."