At a time when white wines used to be flat and oily a small clutch of boutique wineries were bottling as nature made them refreshingly crisp South African oenologist Andr Van Wyk at Gentilini was one of them It is a different world and Greek wine has moved into the 21st century Petros Markantonatos is the driving force of Gentilinis vineyards and winery A natural communicator driven by a protestantlike work ethic he steered this proactive address to its current admirable position In an ideal world he should be spearheading Greekwine promotional campaigns in the AngloSaxon markets In his broadminded professional manner he has done much to help on merit other upandcoming worthy addresses in the export arena such as todays Naoussa star Thymiopoulos Vineyards
Though the actual Cephalonia Robola acreage is small its considerable qualities have not gone unnoticed It is more digest than Santorini Assyrtiko Both are all about minerality though they could not be more different expressions The other gem on this limestoneclay island in the Ionian Sea is Mavrodaphne a red grape Cephalonia is its historical home It took years to replant virusfree vines with tailored rootstock to each soil type To map and think out the right singlevineyard blends To change winemaking approach so as to unlock the potential of this charmer grape This complete rethink has paid off handsomely Today Gentilini has a premium red soulmate to match their excellent Robolas The Greek oenologist Alexandros Doukas arrival in spring 2015 heralds a new era for this openminded cosmopolitan address
Three single vineyards planted to the smallerberried Tsingelo lowerlying plots at the Gentilini Minies estate Thinia and the Antzoulatos Ianou vineyard in Omala 650m Brilliant purple Exotic spice Hint of coconut from American oak Mouthwatering juicy fruit Supple savoury tannins Energising mint lift on the dry exotic finish Brighter focused purer nuances than previous efforts Super Galaxies away from my first encounter with this grape from vines above the shoreline of Thinia Thiniatiko aka Mavrodaphne Best 20152025
Wine: Gentilini Eclipse
Year: 2013
Link: http://www.gentilini.gr
Score: 17.5
Type: Red
Variety: Mavrodaphne
Area: Ionian Islands