Alpha Estate Alpha 1 Tannat
Fifteen years ago, Amyndeon was a no man’s land. It has now emerged as an exciting forward-looking region. Surrounded by mountains, it experiences the largest swing in diurnal temperatures. During the growing season, April to September, nights are cool (+10° C), highs rarely rise above +31° C.
Of all the non-Greek red grapes planted in this important 65-hectare estate, Syrah, Montepulciano and Tannat have excelled. They have adapted to such a degree that no one, including here, could ever imagine such impressive wines.
The Alpha 1 grape choice changes yearly. It is either a varietal wine or a blend. In essence, it is the top performing grape(s) of the vintage. It is a halo wine, sold at double the price of the excellent flagship Alpha Estate, a Syrah, Xinomavro and Merlot blend. If reductive aromas and rustic tannins is your experience with Tannat, well, this newcomer to Greece is a rather different, tamed, beast. There is a rarely achieved phenolic ripeness, balance, even polish here. Not the usual descriptors one associates with this love-it-or-leave-it tannic grape. The 2006 vintage was a long, protracted affair. Mustering one of the lowest recorded(1420) degree days. The wine spent 18 months in Allier Bertrange medium-toasted new oak casks at 200% (9+9). The wine is bottled unfiltered.
Opaque. Pharmaceutical nose with camphor dominating. Vinosity, chocolate/cocoa powder. Compact. Enveloped with finesse on the outside with a creamy core. Tastey, ripe tannins. Well balanced and round. Lingering finish. Suprisingly complex. Best 2009-2016.
Score: 18/20
For more information, please visit www.alpha-estate.com
13.08.2009
