Greek Reds

Apostolos Thymiopoulos was Decanter magazine’s Rising Star of 2022, something of an ambassador for a new wave of Greek wines and wine producers. Firmly committed to organic winemaking using biodynamic principles, he makes 10 different wines from vineyards in Fytia and around the village of Trilofos in northern Greece where his winery is located. 

Xinomavro, the black variety in which he specialises, is the quintessential grape of his home region of Naoussa and considered to be in the top tier of native varieties. Despite the name translating as “sour black”, the grape produces relatively light-coloured wines with a complex and ephemeral quality that is nonetheless powerful and distinct. Wines of Greece describe it as “finicky” and “demanding”, much like its two most obvious comparators, Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. 

This cuvée, along with the Atma and Young Vines bottlings, is one of the simpler wines from their collection: well made, highly drinkable and with hints of the heights that this varietal can reach in the hands of such a talented winemaker.

The nose is a tangle of tart red fruits and notes of darker berries: redcurrant, sour cherry, raspberry, plum all nicely defined by enough acidity to keep things fresh and interesting. The skill here has been to keep as much of the purity of the fruit as possible, without the distraction of oak or significant ageing in the winery. Xinomavro responds well to both of these approaches, as some of Thymiolpoulos' other wines prove, but here you get to see just how good it can be in a more straightforward presentation. The structural elements of the wine are sufficient to ensure everything hangs together with minimal intervention.

I'd be happy to sit down to a glass of this on its own and I wouldn't worry if it were a little chilly from storage (although I couldn't quite bring myself to chill it ... not quite sure why). Would also pair well with lighter white meats: guinea fowl rubbed with wild rigani and garlic perhaps, the former helping to tease out the latent herbal tones of the grape. Overall, an excellent introduction to the Thymiopoulos stable.

Earth and Sky was the first wine made by Thymiopoulos back in 2005. It’s a blend of the highest quality parcels of their estate, grown on limestone with schist and clay topsoils. Fermented using indigenous yeasts, the wine is aged in old French oak for 18 months which gives the wine a subtle depth whilst cleverly avoiding any of the more obvious oak characteristics.

In the glass, the wine is a pale to medium ruby with a very slight turbidity due to being unfiltered. The nose opens with a familiar mixture of black and, predominantly, red fruits: sweet cherry and raspberry but also piquant redcurrant. The fruit is nicely defined and underlaid by fragrant, slightly jammy, rose tones and warmer hints of white pepper and mace. This complex, spiced-fruit bouquet is then quickly joined by a smokiness which dances across the palate now approaching an almost meaty hum and then receding into a wispy cloud of sweet tobacco. This is a complex wine that unfolds with time, painting a crystal-clear picture of the varietal and of the terroir where Thymiopoulos works the land.

On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied (at most) with Xinomavro's refreshingly high acidity. The restrained oak and maturation adds a bit of clove and a light mushroom earthiness to proceedings and a nod to lighter dried fruit like prunes. The wine’s long finish is remarkably fresh, a complex meander that finally resolves into a lovely fruit-sweet and liquorice quality. 

It remains light enough to drink solo, but would also pair extremely well with mutton, milder venison or wild duck with a fruit sauce. The insistent umami of Greece’s famous stews, stifado, kokkinisto et al, would make a lovely and more traditional pairing. In a more iconoclastic vein, I’d be tempted to crack open a truffled Baron Bigod with this too. 

With thanks to Ben Greene of Dark Sea Wine for recommending this wine/vintage.