Vintage - 2016

Country - Greece

Region - Peloponnese

Grape Varieties - Agiorgitiko 100%

Alcohol by volume - 14.5%

Bottle - 75cl

One of the pioneers of the modern Greek wine revolution Gaia Estate was established in 1994 by Greek winemakers Leon Karatsalos and Yiannis Paraskevopoulos. Operating two different wineries they make cutting edge wines in both Nemea and Santorini. Gaia's main aim is to present the potential of the indigenous Greek grape varieties to wine enthusiasts worldwide.

2016 is considered to be one of the best four vintages in the region of Nemea of the past two decades. Exceptional conditions throughout the growing season resulted in berries in superb health at harvest time which have translated into wines with excellent fruit character and concentration.

Agiorgitiko (pronounced Ah-yor-YEE-te-ko) is a fragrant red wine grape native to Greece's Peloponnese peninsula. The grapes are cultivated in a seven hectare single estate vineyard in Koutsi, Nemea. The vineyard is situated at an altitude of 550 metres above sea level. The 40 year old vines are trained according to the Spur Cordon method and the yields are kept low at 45 to 48 hectolitres per hectare. The soils have a layer of approximately 75cm of clay over a bed of limestone. The grapes are manually harvested.

The Agiorgitiko grapes were cold soaked and macerated for approximately 20 days, to ensure the desired levels of colour, flavour and aromatic extraction. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts in traditional oak fermenters at 22 to 28°C. The wine went through 100% malolactic fermentation, which was followed by 18 to 20 months’ maturation in mostly new French oak casks. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.

Simply stunning: this is a serious wine, with sweet fruits and a rich, velvety texture. It delivers great depth and complexity with concentrated black and red fruits, vanilla, black pepper and violet enveloped in powerful, yet smooth tannins. A rich, expressive wine completed by a long, smooth finish. This is a treat with a juicy steak, rich pasta dishes or hearty casseroles.