Limnio Kikones
Time to debunk another, very modern Greek myth. In fact, this is one of the most annoying bits of disinformation in circulation: “Limnio was Aristotle’s favourite wine.”
Wow, thinks the unsuspecting gullible punter. It was a handy sound bite for scores of journos discovering Greek wine in the late 1990s. It was repeated ad nauseam. I doubted this as a cheap, opportunistic marketing gimmick. In the very small world of Greek wine it almost got as big as the Black Athena story. Thankfully, it did not come up during the NBC Television live overview of the Greek vineyard to mark the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Now, imagine Aristotle the philosopher on his peripatetic campus below today’s Naoussa. Amongst his pupils from nearby Pella, a young prince, Alexander. Yes, the very one. Dusk, supper. What did they drink? Generous quantities of Limnio? Not so, says wine historian S. Kourakou-Dragona. She attributes this to a rear-label distortion of facts by a naughty consultant. “The only person linked to Limnia ampelos (the Limnos vine) is Polydeuces”, she clarifies. Will get round to him in a forthcoming post.
Traveling on today’s Via Egnatia motorway. Eastbound. Fog. Time to focus on my visit ahead to Kikones. It becomes impossible. Seasonal changes tease. The light is shades of sandstone, gold-grey hues. Lake upon lake to my right unfold, as do convoys of trucks. As I enter Maronia, the sun beaks, softly. The northern Aegean shimmers, platinum. Billowing smoke from fields becomes one with the lifting fog. As I turn off, I spot a solitary heron with his striking stance and hunter’s glance. Kikones, the winery, named after the warrior race that lived in this part of the world two millenia ago, comes into view.
Sister-brother team Melina and Vassilis Tassou are a breath of fresh air. Cosmopolitan, realists, conscientious stewards of the soil. They are pioneers in reviving wine and its culture in Greek Thrace. In the 1990s, their father, Apostolos, planted the first modern-day Maronian vineyards. There are several novel approaches that this switched-on, open-minded address has to show for itself. All wines have taken a quantum leap forward. Until now, most Limnio ended up in blends, mostly to conform to arcane legislation. This is now changing, however. Kikones offers not an over-cropped example. In all honesty, this is the first ever varietal of this now obscure grape of anecdotal acreage that translates such a clear picture. While I research Polydeuces and the Athonite monasteries, I enjoy this worthy newcomer’s breakthrough.
Mid-ruby. Elegant aromatics. Initial whiff of griottes (morello cherries). With aeration it opens up to maquis-botanic notes. Firm, tannic backbone, with tension on the savoury, long finish. Well-judged extraction and oak ageing. A stand-apart wine, brimming with character. Decant and “watch” it evolve over what can be a long dialogue. Instructive and enjoyable. Best 2012-2017.
Score: 16,5+ / 20
More info: http://www.kikones.gr/
22.01.2012
2011: road stories on a pretty vintage
Nico Manessis
An action-packed agenda for the autumn update. Much of it involved visiting top-performing addresses, or emerging talent in lesser-known, up and coming regions.
Weather
Prolonged spring rain brought downy mildew in places. Summer temperatures were steady, with no jarring extremes. Yields were down, which helped overall quality. In spite of a flat market there was shortage of red grapes. Harvest conditions were varied, but overall healthy. In some appellations showers actually helped. Autumn started overcast, with a notable drop in temperatures. This was followed by an Indian summer. Perfect for the late harvesting of red grapes. Tasted wines show no alcoholic imprint. Attractive in these early stages. Bright fruit. Balanced. An opportunity for regional differences to shine. Added bonus? Typicity in the more-demanding grapes.
Peloponnese
Achaia: Walked two name places at 840 m and 920 m. Mountainous horizon. One peak faded onto another. An idyllic setting, yet far from easy to farm, I learned. Lack of water in these hills means overstressing of vines is an issue; there are (cumbersome) solutions, though. Climate change? Hot air mass waves originating from the Thessaly plain present new farming challenges. It appears that nature has yet to adapt to fast-paced, extreme changes. Which means, up here, a mixed bag, in contrast to an exceptionally good 2010.
Nemea: Quantity down by 40% from the (recent) average of 15,000 tonnes. Healthy grapes, normal- and smaller-sized berries. Tasting the grapes that are delivered to wineries is instructive: The tastier grape, think of aroma on the palate, were good. No surprise that the best sites (and farmers) achieved this ‘‘aromatic’’ hallmark. Neutral-tasting grapes are destined for bulk- and entry-level labels. Going carefully over the numerous cluster variations one wonders how many types of Agiorgitiko exist. A trustworthy technician mentioned 280. One thing is certain: Agiorgitiko has been around for a very long time. Good colour, charming wines oozing character.
Laconia: The difficult in farming white grape Kydonitsa was bar none the single most remarkable tank tasted. A smoky mineral charged with gravitas fruit bomb. Simply, there is nothing else like it in the Greek vineyard. Photographer Kostantinos Pittas who rarely comments on our daily tastings was smitten. Forget Malagousia. ‘’ Little quince’’ has it all. Aroma, fruit and acidity. Minerality? It transposes the windswept rocky arid environment it struggles in this eastern ‘‘finger’’ of the Peloponnese. Untapped high potential.
Central Greece
Hinterland of Thebes: Quantities were down. Delicate aromatic Savatiano showed more typicity than the blowsy 2010s. Terrific, new to me Assyrtiko. Is this the birth of a new terroir for this star grape? The obscure dark-skinned Mouchtaro may not be the next best thing in the Greek vineyard. Useful in blends with cosmopolitan varieties, such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, for rosé or dry red wines.
Tyrnavos: Thanks to an up and coming address, another pleasant surprise. Summer was cooler, with marked diurnal temperature variation. Re-discovered floral Limniona is poised, balanced. This cultivar is not to be confused with the demanding Limnio grown in Macedonia.
Northern Greece
Thrace: What a difference from recent previous visits! A still hazy terroir has grown up, slowly coming into focus. Fragrant, soft, mouth-watering. Star? The difficult to ripen Limnio. Have never seen this historic, though now obscure, grape deliver its distinctive identity.
Drama: in all colours, very impressive. Lip-smacking freshness in whites. Rosés are pleasing, with their refreshing bone-dry factor. Reds, varietal or blends, have taken this re-energised region a notch up. They will be talked about.
Kavala: A terroir is unfolding in these foothills of Mount Pangeon, influenced by the cooling breezes of the northern Aegean shoreline. Vibrant freshness, grapey whites. A new dimension of added depth in red blends. These are all worthy efforts.
Naoussa: In 17 years of field trips I have never tasted such attractive site translation (early November). Good colour. Perfumed complexity. Tasty ripe tannins. Elegance. Interesting to follow how these seductive wines develop. There was a change of guard in several underperforming estates. As reported elsewhere in these pages the so-called “Naoussa gang” 30-somethings are upping their game. This, shrinking in acreage, historic region needed this kick start. Look out for forthcoming reviews from a clutch of estates in transition.
Amyndeon: Vineyard hygiene was not the best; affected with downy mildew. Diligent farmers were rewarded with a small yet high-quality crop. Exciting Xinomavro sparkling Blanc de noir developments emphasize the increasingly understood talents of this cooler plateau. Xinomavro’s and blends are complete.
Siatista: What a change the Egnatia highway has brought to this, once important, historic old-vine region famous for its late-harvest Xinomavro and Moschomavro dessert wines! The fur business may not be what it once was, with most of the manufacturing moving to China. Nevertheless, I sensed a renewed interest for dry red wine. Met with several younger and older farmers. Soft, spicy aroma. Discreet. Whispering; not shouting. A new to me Xinomavro expression. Extolling the virtues of a wine made from 87 year old vines, I urged vineyard owners not to uproot the precious DNA pool of surviving old vines.
Aegean
Santorini: Cool weather patterns sealed a terrific vintage. It equals the 2009, perhaps surpasses the exceptional 2006. High standards in all the top names. Citrus-pear aroma, crisp fruit on the mineral-charged template, are all highlighted from some of the highest acidities on record. A keeper.
9.01.2012
