Wine & Spirits - August 2017 - 69

YEAR'S BEST GREEK WINES
Our blind panels tasted 233 new-release Greek wines over the past 12 months. Our critic for Greece, Tara Q. Thomas, rated 43 as
exceptional (90+) and 24 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

S PA RK L I N G
223281

90 | Karanika

$28

2015 Amyndeon Brut Rosé ^ Laurens Hartman adds a little still xinomavro to this
saignée sparkling to keep the color bright
pink and fresh. That also adds an extra
dimension of cherry flavor, a fruitiness that
complements an otherwise vinous, savory
wine with tangy orange peel highlights. It
lasts with fine, tiny bubbles, a Champagnemethod sparkler for the dinner table. § Verity
Wine Partners, NY
223279

90 | Karanika

$28

2015 Amyndeon Brut Cuvée Speciale ^ The
juice of this xinomavro is run off its purple
skins before it takes on much color, producing a creamy, savory sparkling wine. As with
all of Karanika's sparklers, it's left at least 12
months on the lees after a second fermentation in bottle, then finished with a dosage
that brings the residual sugar to between four
and six grams. This one, labeled with a disgorgement date of December 2016, tastes of
pears and lemon, with fine bubbles sweeping the flavors into a cool, brisk finish. § Verity
Wine Partners, NY
223334

90 | Santo Wines

$29

88 | Kir-Yianni

$22

2014 Santorini Brut Methode Traditionnelle ^ Made from assyrtiko, this is dry and
mineral, with a fresh, lemony acidity. The
chalky minerality keeps the wine firm, ready
for a platter of little fried fish or oysters. § Diamond Importers, Chicago, IL
223268
2016 Amyndeon Akakies Rosé (Best Buy) ^
A bright, happy sparkler, this strikes an easydrinking balance of sweetness and tang in
its strawberry-rhubarb flavors. The acidity
keeps it fresh; to chill for aperitifs. § Diamond
Importers, Chicago, IL
222081

86 | Cavino

$15

Peloponnese Deus Rosato Semi-Sparkling (Best Buy) ^ The words "Rosato SemiSparkling" set off alarm bells in the minds of
some tasters, but this one had everyone on
our panel smiling. It's as light as a sponge
cake, with a similar sweetness, while a lemony acidity keeps the strawberry fruit from

cloying. Pour it for a birthday celebration. §
Greek Boys Choice Foods, Tarpon Springs, FL
222082

86 | Cavino

$15

Peloponnese Deus Semi-Sparkling (Best
Buy) ^ Fresh and bright, this is a tangy, sweettart blend of muscat and sideritis, more
herbal than floral, with a green-plum fruitiness. Give it a light chill for a savory dessert
of goat cheese and candied walnuts. § Greek
Boys Choice Foods, Tarpon Springs, FL

IS L A ND WHITES
CRETE
222516

91 | Douloufakis

$17

2016 Crete Femina (Best Buy) ^ An exceptionally elegant malvasia, this feels like a
spring breeze, the fruit crisp and green, the
scents fresh, herbal and delicately floral.
Grapefruit-like acidity rides through the
wine, keeping it brisk and lively, while notes
of fennel and citrus bring to mind a pairing with herb-stuffed grilled fish. § Diamond
Importers, Chicago, IL
222513

87 | Douloufakis

$15

2016 Crete Dafnios Vidiano (Best Buy) ^
Named for the bay laurel that grows around
this vineyard, this smells deeply herbal, the
sappy green spice overlaying a broad, waxy
base of citrus flavor. It's soft and a little spicy
with alcohol, wanting a chill before serving
with rice-and-herb-stuffed vegetables this
summer. § Diamond Importers, Chicago, IL

CYCL ADES
222907

92 | Estate Argyros

$29

2016 Cyclades Aidani ^ Here's a rare chance
to taste aidani on its own, since it's normally blended into Santorini's assyrtikobased whites. Its delicate blossom notes and
round texture shine in this wine, bolstered
by a lime-zest acidity that keeps it feeling
lithe and elegant. The flavors linger with an
umami earthiness that magnifies the flavors,
making the wine feel bigger without adding
any weight. Take a bottle to your favorite
sushi restaurant; it will be fun to pair with all
manner of raw and fried fish. § Athenee Importers & Distributors, Hempstead, NY
223274

88 | Artemis Karamolegos

$17

2016 Cyclades Feredini Assyrtiko (Best
Buy) ^ Chalky, lean and salty, this is a clean,
brisk assyrtiko with intense acidity. It will
play well with anything from the sea, especially fried and spritzed with lemon. § Verity
Wine Partners, NY

PA R O S
222071

90 | Moraitis

$16

2014 Paros (Best Buy) ^ Made from a local
grape called monemvasia, this golden wine
is waxy and broad. It needs time in the glass
to reveal all its flavors, moving beyond the
initial oak-barrel tones to lemon and stone,
bay leaf and flowering oregano. Decant it for
a whole roast fish served with a liberal drizzle
of fruity olive oil. § V.O.S. Selections, NY

SANTORINI
214001

96 | Hatzidakis

$32

94 | Gai'a

$39

2015 Santorini ^ Some of Santorini's wines
speak of the island's bright sun and the Meltemi wind in their brisk, insistent acidity and
the way they whisk across the palate. In 2015,
the wind never blew; and Haridimos Hatzidakis doesn't make breezy wines anyway. Focusing on old vines that he tends organically, he
regularly turns out some of the island's most
intense wines. This, his entry-level cuvée, is
a giant, its concentration of dry extract palpable in the cashmere texture. The flavors are
fruity, from Meyer lemon to apple and pineapple, with notes of honeysuckle showing
their ripeness. But then there's the acidity,
pushing the wine forward with energy, keeping it dynamic. Firm and full of personality,
it's a burly Santorini to cellar or pour with
roast lamb. § Dionysi Grevenitis Selections/
Frederick Wildman and Sons, NY
222904
2016 Santorini Wild Ferment Assyrtiko ^
Since 2015, Yiannis Paraskevopoulos has
reduced the percentage of new barrels he
uses for this cuvée. This 2016 packs a wallop
of flavor, all focused on chalk and salt, the
richness reading in the wine's mouthfilling
texture. It's huge, a tidal wave with a warm,
caressing feel, the wine revealing notes of
citrus and herbs as it recedes, the saltiness
WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2017

69
http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com
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