I was supposed to go to an end-of-the-year tasting with my NYC Wine Ladies and bring a bottle of a variety, region or producer that impressed me the most in 2022. But then I fell victim to holiday travel and its run-around, flight-delayed exhaustion, so I opted for health and unfortunately missed the moment.
The bottle I planned on bringing sulked at my maturity.
It kept staring at me, and after some rest, I drank it with a random tostadas dinner. One thing is sure: I was not wrong for any of that.
My 2022 revelation is three-fold:
- Greek wine is girthy and gracious.
- Xinomavro is up there with Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo in my life.
- Domaine Tatsis is a solid Greek wine producer.
It all started in late 2021 while studying for the WSET D3 Wines of the World course. There’s an overwhelming amount of information and wines to know throughout its nine-month duration. In just one week, we covered Greece, Austria and Hungary, countries I had tasted little from prior.
I was impressed by all three producers, my palate piqued. But Greece really stood out with its chunky Assyrtiko, all the things about Xinomavro… and what I would later learn: Vinsanto.
Around the end of April, in my attempt to guess which needle the WSET would select from the haystack of theory question possibilities, I studied Greece quite a bit. I knew then that I would soon experience Santorini and explore northern Greece.
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Once I get a travel fantasy in my head, it’s not going anywhere until I make it a reality…
So at the end of May, I bought a ticket from Tel Aviv (more to come on the state of Israeli wines and my work trip) to Athens for 100 Euros, the return ticket open. I’ve written about those experiences a bit, and more is to come, but for now, a Purple Hearted moment.
Domaine Tsastis Goumenissa 2009
It started with a sketchy cork, but the wine was solid, sparking paragraphs. In an effort to publish more of what goes into these books I’m always scribbling in, I’ll just transcribe.
Firm and bloody.
The nose is earthy with cola, red cherries, blood, celery, spice, violets and smashed-up Oreos scattered over sweet raspberries and struck iron.
Dry to the bone in mouth (with a “Bad to the Bone” vibe). Ba-ba-ba-baddd…Spiked acidity with alcoholic tannins, both high yet well-integrated.
Slow and steady with thick concentration. Velvety. Cacao on the back end with raspberry and blueberry before transitioning to figs and hazelnut.
A long, high-voltage finish.
Smooth and special, but in a less refined league from the three B’s: Burgundy, Barolo, Bordeaux.
Thinking about it now, you could also throw a fourth: Brunello di Montalcino. In fact, my D3 tasting exam threw a Xinomavro into the mixed bucket flight, and I pegged it for a Brunello, the tomato and cherry vibes confusing me.
But after a pilgrimage to Naoussa in July 2022 and a fabulous tasting held by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino of 100+ Brunello in November 2022, I feel much better about separating the two…but that’s for another time.
If you can get your hands on the Goumenissa 2009, I highly recommend giving it a whirl, as I’ve tasted it twice within the past few months, its beauty beaming on both occasions.
I’ve always had a good impression of Domaine Tsastis, but a Greek friend would beg to differ, claiming they’ve gone faulty in the face of natural. Taste is indeed subjective.
They produce a Retsina orange that I don’t care for, though I’ve only tried one bottle. It was mousey and well, Retsina. But when drinking from the bottle in good company with the Acropolis to one side while towering over a glowing Athens below, we still managed to drink every drop 🙂
Moral of the story, go get your hands on some Greek wines!
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