The driving force behind the ongoing revival of this 1980s pioneer boutique address is the irrepressible Petros Markantonatos A fellow Ionian to me the embodiment of the mischievous LixorioteCephalonian spirit Armed with witty repartee An arsenal of puns Oh yes and his humour it can slaughter imaginary or real monsters He is also a man on a mission
While tooling with the microcuvee of the estates Syrah he has been up to what else more mischief in the cellar First he earmarked a high 850 m single vineyard of ungrafted Robola planted in 1954 following the devastating 1953 earthquake He then revved up research on numerous ambient yeast strains of this other great white indigenous grape Dozens of microvinifications later the Robola 2007 CS is now with us In essence it represents a trial effort ultimately seeking to improve his very good Robola Interestingly the restless Petros also tried all these wines with synthetic closures as well as natural cork The aromatic profile was slightly more intense with natural cork Methinks why not go all the way and screw cap it The ultraconservative home market though is not quite ready for it yet
Even without the above suggested closure it is all around sharper in focus It exhibits more concentration visavis his current Robola which at 28 hectolitres per hectare could hardly be described as thin Redolent of jasmine and lemon zest There is more depth and a clearer definition of the islands flintstone Robola character The severe bright acid mineral tow on the finish is pretty serious stuff It reminds me of the Kimmeridgian Chablis Grand Cru soil There is no doubt that the CS is a smart path towards eliciting even more terroir out of the Mount Ainos limestone rocky slopes covered with vines maquis and waves of silverygreen olive trees that fade into the Ionian Sea
For the time being the Robola CS is sold at the winery One last thing The islands hued autumn light is nothing short of wondrous
Wine: Robola Cellar Selection Gentilini
Year: 2007
Link: http://www.gentilini.gr/
Score: 17.5
Type: White
Variety: Robola
Area: Ionian Islands