As the African plate inched forward it collided with the European and Crete popped up The only nearuniform soil type on the island is the limestone hillsides above the town of Iraklio The rest of the island is a geologists dream
With its cooler microclimate this artisan estate lies on a dream patch of soil On a geology map it looks like it poured out of a mixer Marllittered with petrified shells and urchins red oxides sand and schist Yannis Economou has been on my radar ever since I discovered him in the 1990s He readily admits Ziros is blessed with an extraordinary terroir Yet it is his deep understanding and minimalist approach that turn heads and raise eyebrows For two decades he has been making natural wines His only concession is low doses of sulphur and that not in all wines
There is nothing weird about his Sitia It sings with laserlike accuracy Economou is not an easy man to pry about his methods or get to taste the older vintages Not suffering fools lightly he teases in a nice way His worldly outlook to the worlds finest wines enables him to see what he has and how to manage it cellaring up to a decade and releasing when each vintage is ready All grapes come from his own organically farmed vineyards Yields are minute as thats what nature gives up here from ungrafted 8090yearold vines
On a recent visit I tasted the trio of 2006 2005 2004 All very different compelling stuff The 2004 is enveloped in a wall of acidity Like the reviewed 1999 it is a profound wine even though not ready yet One can not argue against Economous approach It is all clearly thought out Perhaps the best news is that he plans to bottle in magnums I cannot think of any other collectable red wine more deserving of this some argue ideal format There is another hidden gem in his 600m Ziros cellar the littleseen dark horse in the Cretan whitegrape bounty Thrapsathiri 2009 Think of Chteau de Beaucastel oldvine Roussanne meeting Cretan botanical gutsiness Now that is another teaser Economou story
The smallerberried Liatiko with a spoon of Mandilari Indigenous yeast Darker and fresherlooking than any previous vintages Reminiscent of an aged Burgundy frozen in time Floral with aeration it expands into a spectrum of exotic spice aromas Sweet Pinot noirlike nose and palate Cherries Compact highacid firm backbone Intense lasting aftertaste A rare combination where a great terroir and human are in unison If this wine hailed from a classic Italian or French region it would be very very expensive For this pedigree and class it is a steal Carafe for 15 minutes Best 2012 27
Wine: Economou Sitia
Year: 1999
Link: http://wineryeconomou.blogspot.gr
Score: 19
Type: Red
Area: Crete