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Greek Wine Cellars – GWC Flowers Agiorgitiko 2019, Nemea, Greece

07 Friday Oct 2022

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Medium ruby colored in the glass with medium intensity aromas of cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, dill and sea air.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins.  I get tart flavors of red fruit with some zippiness alongside some green dill notes and the saline component.  This wine is medium bodied and carries through to a dry, medium length finish.  It’s crisp and refreshing and I like it.  90 points from me for this $15 bottle makes it a 5 star effort.  Pasta, kebabs, kofta or cheesy casseroles would pair nicely.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Kotrotsos Erasmios Agiorgitiko 2018, Nemea, Greece

03 Monday Oct 2022

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Medium ruby colored bordering on a touch of garnet for this 4 year old wine.  The nose has aromas of black cherry, blackberry, stewed black plum, anise, cedar shake, nutmeg, hummus (earthy) and garigue.  The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity and medium (+) tannins.  Medium to full-bodied I get flavors of black fruit, some stewed notes indicating age, oak influence (cedar) and anise with some earthiness.  The tannins grip for a long while on the medium length finish.  I like this 90 point wine and think it is at peak.  Drink till 2025 with grilled meats or heavy baked dishes like Moussaka.  For  $18 it’s a great intro to this decidedly Greek varietal.  5 stars.  Salut….

Hermes Assyrtiko 2021, Peloponnese, Greece

10 Wednesday Aug 2022

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Pale lemon colored, this wine has medium aromas of lemon/lime, overripe papaya, chocolate (yup, the milky kind), saline, wet slate and juniper.  The palate is dry yet shows off ripe fruit sweetness.  The acidity is quite high and the body is full.  Flavors of citrus and ripe papaya are predominant with some floral/aromatic notes coming through.  I don’t get the chocolate on the palate but there is crisp minerality.  The finish is full of flavor and mid length- a delicious wine.  I would give this bottle 90 points and drink it till 2024.  My pairing tonight is with pan roasted scallops over a veggie pasta.  A stunner for under $12 that gets 5 stars.  Salut….

Achaia Cellars Muscat of Patras NV, Greece

03 Sunday Apr 2022

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Medium gold in the glass, this dessert style wine from Greece has pronounced aromas of honey, orange marmalade, blossom, a hint of lychee, some rose water and soursop. On the palate it is medium sweet with medium acidity, a full body and medium (-) intensity flavors.  The mouthfeel is really pleasant, not cloying- more like a refreshing sticky.  The finish is medium length and accentuates the honey component with orange  notes.  This wine retails for $13.  That’s a steal IMO.  88 points from me makes it a 4 star effort to have laying around in case you need something sweet after dinner.  Stock up.  Salut….

Alpha Estate Hedgehog Vineyard Xinomavro 2018, Amyndeo, Greece

06 Sunday Feb 2022

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Our third wine of the evening (virtual wine tasting) was this Xinomavro from Greece.  Having never tried this varietal everyone was on an even keel starting out with some loving it and others hating it.

Reminiscent of Pinot or Nebbiolo this wine is see-through and has a beautiful shade of ruby in the glass.  It’s a vegetal wine with earthy tones on the nose alongside syrupy anise, white pepper, rhubarb, tomato and BBQ sauce (I know…..just go with it).

The palate is dry with high levels of tannin, medium acidity, medium body and a medium length finish.  Tart cherries are the flavor of the day- this wine was loaded with sourness which was off-putting to some.  Rhubarb, another tart component, was present as was cranberry.  See where I’m going here?  A touch earthy there was perhaps a bit of licorice as well.  This wine was revered by the New Jersey peeps, and poo-pooed by the Maryland crowd.  Technically speaking I gave it 90 points and feel it is worthy of a re-taste tonight after it has had some air.  For $23 you too can explore this Greek varietal and let us know your thoughts.  4 stars, with a drinking window till 2027.  Salut….

Skouras Moscofilero 2019, Peloponnese, Greece

06 Sunday Feb 2022

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We kicked off the next series in our Virtual Wine Tasting Company with a varietal I had never tried before- Moschofilero.  We first tasted it chilled and then at room temperature.  Keep in mind that the tasting notes you read are from a dozen voices!

The wine is pale gold (which was debated back and forth btw) and has pronounced aromas of melon, orange blossom, apricot, almond, peach and had a crispy effervescent hint to boot.  The palate was dry (also debated back and fro) with medium (+) acidity.  It was crisp and refreshing with flavors of honeydew, orange, lemon, pink grapefruit and nutty almonds.  Medium bodied it had a relatively short finish.

Tasted at room temperature the wine had much more floral aromas.  Honeysuckle, almonds, grapefruit and raw honey featured on the somewhat tart nose.  The palate had more pronounced flavors that consisted of grapefruit, almonds and more florality- there was a sense of sweetness to some…. yet tartness to others (me).  The wine felt creamier in the mouthfeel for some and crisper and lighter bodied for others- talk about a see-saw of opinions!

Overall this semi-aromatic grape was enjoyed by all I believe and will feature well at a pool or lake this summer- chilled and enjoyed with a cool, crisp salad with steamed prawns.  I would go 91 points for this $15 effort making it a 5 star wine that you need to try.  Drink now.  Salut….

Note- I discovered post-tasting that it does have some residual sugar, 4 gr/Ltr, which technically makes it Dry, yet there was a hint of sweetness as was noted!

Boutari Nemea 2017, Peloponnese, Greece

15 Saturday Jan 2022

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I’m cooking Lamb Chops with olive oil, lemon, garlic and other sundry Mediterranean spices so I figured a Greek wine would pair nicely.  I have never tried Agiorgitiko before and am looking forward to this pale ruby colored wine that carries a relatively light 13% ABV.  The nose has some interesting spices- nutmeg, crushed black pepper and cinnamon.  Red fruit notes from pomegranate, red plum and black cherry try to compete for space but the spices dominate.  Some oak is present but very faint.  On the palate this wine has sweet fruit and the obvious spices.  It’s a dry wine (ie. no residual sugar) that has really smooth, integrated tannins that balance nicely with juicy acidity.  Medium (-) body and a svelte finish that is medium in length makes for a delightful mouthfeel.  If this is what the varietal is like I am thinking of many possible pairings.  Not a blockbuster but well made and enjoyable in the near term.  Drink with grilled meat, rich pasta dishes or some charcuterie.  89 points and for $15- 4 stars.  Salut….

Mercouri Estate Kallisto 2018, Peloponnese, Greece

28 Monday Sep 2020

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Kicking off the 9th Virtual Wine tasting was this Greek wine.  I have never tried Assyrtiko before and was very intrigued.  As usual, we tasted both room temperature and then chilled versions of the same bottle.  The nose gave us honeysuckle, cedar, citrus, pear and rose water.  I personally found the wine to be very floral, aromatic and buttery with hints of persimmon.  The palate was honeyed with some lemon, pear, melon and pepper notes all being reported by the group.  To me it continued that floral, aromatic angle and had a touch of acidity but was also a smidge sweet.

The chilled version was much more muted on the nose and the palate.  Members noted cat pee, lemon, squash blossoms, Pez candy and florals.  I added Passion fruit to my descriptors.  It was much better at room temperature where the flavors were abundant but I did enjoy the chilled version and would certainly serve it that way with some seafood, a salad Niçoise or some charcuterie.  Overall this $16 wine is worthy of 90 points and 4 stars.  Salut….