772 | Wine | Greece | Page 5

"Good intensity on the nose, with aromas of fresh red fruit, notes of sweet spices and a hint of herbs. On the palate it is full of freshness, with rounded body, soft tannins and crisp acidity. Serve with juicy red meats with spicy sauces, BBQ and charcouterie."

"The 2011 Malagouzia “Axia” was raw and unevolved when I first saw it very early on. I wish everyone could taste it under these circumstances – so exuberant and pure, with hints of peach and grass. It was almost like a tank sample when tasted. It is delicious, friendly and fresh, if not terribly concentrated and not likely to develop much if at all with age. As I like to say with certain types of wines, however long they theoretically hold, you’ll do yourself a favor drinking them young and fresh as they may have nowhere to go but down and the youthful exuberance is one of their best features. I believe that is the case here, although the wine should hold a couple of years. It should win the winery a lot of friends this summer, though."

"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."

"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."