A stone building houses the winery and pot still Outside two horses are eating hay Several hens and a solitary turkey are cleaning up the edges of a linear vineyard In the background Vermios peaks Dourlia and Giona in a puff of snow Winter light so treasured by painters for their craft adds a crystalline touch to this frozenintime bucolic scenery Ever heard of Dalamari Methinks it is going to become justly famous in the very small world of Greek wine It lies 420 m high above the town of Naoussa Recent convert to wine Stavros Kokkinos started out as a fruit farmer Back in 2000 he had the good sense to invest in some of Naoussas prime placenames One hectare of Paliokalia He also owns 12 hectares of Gastra Another 12 hectares of Xinomavro have been planted around the winery Beyond his reviewed PDO Naoussa he is also working on an ambitious XinomavroCabernet Sauvignon blend The fruit hails from another 17 hectares Interestingly the Cabernet Sauvignon vines are 30 years old Though I farmed fruit orchards I always wanted to make wine When visiting new addresses one way in assessing the vineyards pedigree is by looking at the distillates from these grapes His tsipouro was raw just a few weeks old Yet this allXinomavro cleargrape spirit was aromatic and textured It is also one of the most refined I have ever tasted The cynic may ask Is this estate a onehitwonder Quite on the contrary The maiden vintage 2009 was a cracker So much so that Xino Nero Florina restaurateur Nikos Kontosoros accurately commented that this vintage tasted more like coolerclimate Amyndeon than warmer Naoussa The three aforementioned placenames have a proven track record though only the first two are shared by other growers namely Dalamaras Karydas and Melitzanis Previews of 2011 2012 2013 are promising reflecting their vintage characteristics Above all they capture the wholesome classic modern not rustic side of Naoussa This new blood may not be redefining Xinomavro but is a useful source of yet another facet of a lesserknown rarely dull terroir
Very fine aroma of blackberried fruit strawberry disappearing into ripe tannins Expansive juicy fruit Not overextracted Seamless oak Attractive balance between acidity and tannins Smells and tastes like no other Naoussa yet brims with character of the PDO snapshots from which it hails
Best 20142024
Wine: Ktima Kokkinos Xinomavro
Year: 2010
Link: http://www.wines-kokkinos.com
Score: 16.5
Type: Red
Variety: Xinomavro
Area: Macedonia