Grand Cru (Perth) Tasting Group – Greek and Middle Eastern Wines

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

Greece isn't just about retsina, and the middle east isn't all about over-excited people with guns. There's some great wines here. So, for this tasting it was wines of Greece, Turkey, Lebanon or Georgia (or anywhere else nearby - Turkmenistan anyone?)

As usual, the wines were tasted blind, with only the vintage and colour being known. Whites were tasted first, with the reds to follow, and wines were tasted youngest to oldest.

Surprisingly, there was no Assyrtiko here, and a couple of the oldest whites were faulty (and a young red), so I have not included these. We also had the situation where two tasters brought the same wine -this happens occasionally, given the relative scarcity of these wines in Perth.

The wines also surprised in terms of support; in many cases, they were either unanimously supported, or received few or no votes.

The whites:

Domaine Zafeirakis Malagousia 2021 (Greece, 12.5% alc): Pale yellow in colour. A nutty nose with beeswax, salinity, peaches, apricot skin, pear and rosemary. There’s considerable acid on the palate, which shows tropical fruits, Turkish delight and pink grapefruit. There’s some palate weight and good length. Well regarded by the group.

Chateau Musar Jeune 2021 (Lebanon): A blend of Viognier, Vermentino and Chardonnay. Pale yellow in colour. Lanolin, rose petal, salted lemon, grapefruit and a dairy / butter character on the nose. One taster was very specific “Lemon cheesecake with whipped cream”. The palate has honey, lemon, lime cordial, grapefruit, and is slightly sour. There’s plenty of acid, and good length.

Do Re Mi Khkhuri Mtsvane 2020 (Georgia 12.5%): 4 days of skin contact and the use of qvevri would have contributed to the burnt orange colour. A pungent nose shows resin, wet hay, yeast, and a little caramel and allspice. The palate is full-flavoured, with baked apple and cinnamon, and an oily mouthfeel. Tannins are firm, and the full and velvety mouthfeel, and a slightly astringent finish. Deliberately made in an oxidative style.

Chamlija Chardonnay 2019 (Turkey 13.5%). From high density plantings in the Turkish mountains, it received 10 months in French oak. Butterscotch, yoghurt and vanilla essence on the nose, with sweaty socks, rancio and some citrus on what was described as a ‘confused’ palate. Another taster identified squashed ants.

Vinkara Hasandede 2018 (Turkey, 13% alc): Yellow in colour. Complex nose of lemon meringue pie, grapefruit, rosemary, green pea, and light sour cream. The palate shows lemon curd and under-ripe grapefruit. It has a velvety mouthfeel and a slightly astringent finish. Well regarded by the group.

20240320_205059.jpg

And onto the reds:

Thymiopoulos Xinomavro 2021 (Greece): This sees no oak (concrete and stainless steel instead) Ruby in colour. Lots of descriptors for the nose; dried pine needles, rose petals, cherry, tar, cranberries, pepper berry, blueberry jelly and blackberry cassis. The palate shows vibrant fruit - sour cherry, strawberry jam – with reasonably high acid and tannins. There’s also some charcuterie characters. Its medium bodied, fresh, with only moderate length. Drink young. Well regarded by the group.

Gai’a Agiorgitiko 2021 (Nemea, Greece, 14% alc): Deep purple in colour. Lots of red fruits on the nose – cherries, plums, raspberry and red berries, plus a hint of vanilla. The palate has reasonably high acid and chalky tannins. High acid and medium length with a touch of astringency.

Gai’a Agiorgitiko & Syrah 2020 (Nemea, Greece, 15% alc): Purple black in colour. Lots of dark fruits – blueberry especially, with coconutty oak. High acid, with cola, coffee grounds, raisin and Christmas cake on the palate. The Syrah obviously makes a big difference here! A long finish. There was discussion about the use of Ripasso (we don’t know), and this wine was well regarded, possibly because it was the most ‘Australian’ in the line-up.

20240320_205102.jpg

Kir Yianni ‘Raminista” Xinomavro 2018 (Greece, 14.5%): Purple in colour. The nose shows Bright red cherries, redcurrant, vanilla and cedar. There’s noticeable acid, more sour cherry, and supportive tannins. It was described as ‘pretty’ with medium length, but slightly unbalanced and perhaps a touch of TCA. Still well regarded, however.

Terjola Tsiska-Otskanuri Sapere 2017 (Georgia,12.5%): Minimal intervention. Purple in colour. There’s a lot happening on the nose, with blueberry, dark fruits, cedar, cola, raisin, forest floor, earth haematite and bresaola. The palate is also juicy and fruity, with raisin, and noticeable oak. The fruit is sweet on the front palate but dilutes on the finish. Acid plays a freshening role.

One common comment during the tasting was that the wine being tasted at the time “needs food”. Almost none of the wines were wines that you would drink more than a glass of without food. We also discussed the difficulty of applying common wine descriptors to these wines, and I imagine that a similar tasting group in Greece would speak about these wines in different terms.

Wine of the night was the Domaine Zafeirakis Malagousia 2021. Thanks to all who joined us on the night and contributed to lively discussion.

Cheers
Allan

20240320_205105.jpg

[Waiters Friend]

20240320_205055.jpg

[Ian S]

Good choice of theme.

[JamieAdelaide]

I recall a podcast a few years ago saying Turkey’s wine industry under Erdogen is being driven toward an exporter dominat market. Local consumption shunned under Erdogen’s policies to sate Islamic conservatives.

[GraemeG]

I'm a sucker for a grape I've never had before, I gotta say! Often it only confirms why a grape might be obscure, but often you think 'this isn't bad at all', almost to the point of wondering whether the 'noble' grapes are truly better, or just benefiting from a historic accident.
That said, there's nothing worse than your 'exotic grape' being cork-sealed, and then ruined by TCA! Grrr.

[mychurch]

Are there more mineral wines than Greek Assyrtiko ? Really seems to soak up the sea and the stone.

I think I have lamented before that one of my favourite wines - a fantastic Assyrtico/Semillon blend - is not imported into Greeces 3rd city. Shame.

[Ian S]

Are there more mineral wines than Greek Assyrtiko ? Really seems to soak up the sea and the stone.

I think I have lamented before that one of my favourite wines - a fantastic Assyrtico/Semillon blend - is not imported into Greeces 3rd city. Shame.

I was wondering whether you get a larger selection, based on not just Melbourne's legendary Greek population, but Sydney also having a sizeable Greek / Greek ancestry population. There is certainly lots to interest wine geeks in the country's wines / grapes.