I set off on my Greek wine odyssey expecting to find good wines, far better than most people might expect from Greece. And I found them. But scattered among the very good wineries I visited were a handful that were superior, for any country. Alpha Estate is one of them.
Snuggled on a high altitude plateau in the Amyndeon AOQS (comparable to France’s AOC) district, in northern Greek region of Macedonia, Alpha Estate covers 70 acres of vines and a soon-to-be finished winery that will be an attraction in its own right once completed. At about 2200 feet in altitude, the estate has a cool continental climate, tempered by the presence of two large lakes. Owner and winemaker Angelos Iatrides cobbled the property together by purchasing dozens of small patches of land from farflung heirs of the original owners, operating as clandestinely as possible lest sellers catch a glimpse of his vision and raise their prices prohibitively. He established the estate in 1997.
Iatrides is young and irrepressible, and in that spirit he has planted the vineyards with grapes as unlikely as Montepulciano, Negroamaro and Tannat. His largest acreage is devoted to Syrah, followed by Merlot and Xinomavro, which is one of Greece’s two greatest red grapes, and his only concession to Greek tradition. (He produces a very impressive varietal Xinomavro.) The wine which-like the property-is called Alpha Estate is a blend of these three varieties, with Syrah weighing in at 60 percent of the blend and the other two each at 20 percent.
Frankly, I could have recommended any of his wines. But the intriguing blend of varieties in his flagship “Alpha Estate” red tipped the scales in its favor. That, and the fascinating discussion of roundness versus suppleness which tasting the wine with him evoked. I wouldn’t call the wine “round” because its fine-grained tannin gives it a linear impression in the rear of the mouth. But supple, yes. Swishing this wine around in your mouth creates such a luxurious sensation that you might forget to swallow.
The wine has deep, brooding scents of blackberry, leather, pepper, clove, and even a vague floral note. It’s not a powerful nose, but quite compelling. The wine enters your mouth like spice-colored silk and is full-bodied, with abundant but concentrated flavors of dark fruits that are right in balance with the oak tannins that subsequently emerge. This wine is completely enjoyable now, but will certainly improve with time.
Of the several hundred Greek wines I tasted, in general I preferred the wines from native varieties over the internationally-styled wines. And yet, I love Iatrides’ wines. He has managed to bridge the gap between science and soul, employing techniques such as a pre-fermentation cold soak with microxygenation to produce wines that have a dimension beyond their winemaking. This is particularly true for his “Alpha Estate” wine, his gentlest offspring.
Outstanding: 91 points