Chardonnay from Wood and Steel

After Sauvignon Blanc (in German), it's now time to discuss the only white variety that sees even wider use internationally – and thrives quite wonderfully in Greece too. The following examples from a whole range of different winegrowing regions (PGI Epanomi, PGI Messenia, PGI Ilia, PGI Atalanti, PGI Drama) show as much.

A textbook example is, and remains, the Chardonnay from Ktima Gerovassiliou, which we profiled (in German) in great detail here. It's one of the first Chardonnays to have made international waves, earning Evangelos Gerovassiliou the title "King of Chardonnay". The oak notes sit fairly close to the Chardonnay Tramonto from Alpha Estate (discussed here (in German)), in that here too vanilla is clearly the centrepiece. (For a barrel-aged Chardonnay that also wins over people averse to oak, see instead here (in German) for a clear buy recommendation.) This wine, though, is dominated less by citrus aromas and recalls yellow stone fruit more, above all mirabelle plum. The wine's great strength is that it comes across with tremendous creaminess – owed above all to the oak ageing and lees contact, not to the 13.5% alcohol – while at the same time showing phenomenal drinkability. It doesn't reach the complexity of the very greatest Burgundies, but it's already damn delicious, and drinks so easily that it will satisfy a broad range of wine drinkers at the table. When we tasted the 2020 vintage last autumn, it already deserved a magnificent 17.5 points. With longer maturation, that could still climb further.

But small Greek estates, too, now know how to use oak very deliberately and effectively. That became strikingly clear recently in a small tasting of Greek Chardonnay.

The ROES Chardonnay from Oinotropai Winery in PGI Messenia is a very good example of this. This wine, which costs under €15 in Greece, now comes with a wax capsule and therefore a rather noble presentation. But surely a Chardonnay that spent a mere four months – and even then only partly – in American oak can hardly hit that hard, can it? On opening the 2018, you're greeted immediately by very charming fruit. You smile contentedly and happily drink the first few sips – and while you're enjoying it so unsuspectingly, the aromas, which seemed so harmless at first, suddenly draw you in. My word, what clear fruit! And to the baked-apple aromas is added just enough lactic character to make you think of vanilla custard. What's special about this wine is: the further you taste, the more you're surprised that simply no off-notes want to appear at all. Even days after opening the bottle, every trip to the fridge confirms that you're simply hooked on this wine. We also tried the 2019 vintage. This one has, if anything, a slight edge aromatically, and is marked by expressive exotic fruit. At the same time, though, it's the somewhat harsher of the two. The 2018 ingratiates itself more gently on the palate and impresses with such a subtle yet long finish of coconut and caramel. Hence: outstanding 17 points for the 2019 and magnificent 17.5 points for the 2018.

Admittedly, it doesn't always have to be oak. The Oreino Monopati Chardonnay 2020 from Olympia Land Estate (not far from Oinotropai Winery, in neighbouring PGI Ilia) is an example of that, even if not quite a classic one. It saw only stainless steel, but is nonetheless marked by a very oxidative style. The aromatics are overripe, even though the alcohol sits at just 13%. The fruity aromas recall canned pineapple above all. The tannins do slow the drinkability again, but the above-averagely long and genuinely intriguing finish keeps tempting you back for another taste. Already a very good wine at 16 points.

Distinctly more crowd-pleasing, though, should be the Chardonnay from the Château Julia range by Costas Lazaridis (whose estate we introduced in great detail here (in German)). A wine that will satisfy practically every Chardonnay lover. It's fresh, straightforward, and comes out swinging with lush fruit aromatics. Some found the acidity a touch too sharp – a little malolactic conversion might perhaps still help the wine. Either way, though, already clearly outstanding 16.5 points.

Domaine Hatzimichalis, though, raises the stakes another notch with the Chardonnay Houlevena 2021. The wine comes in at a hearty 14.5% alcohol (Château Julia has 13.5%). Since it wasn't in oak barrels, though, it's by no means too buttery. On the contrary – the wine, striking for its yellow colour, beguiles with a fantastic nose. Aromas of yellow stone fruit dominate, the kind you could just lie down in. On the palate it's a touch less spectacular, but still very good. All told, that's an outstanding 17 points.

Finally, a word about a matter close to our own hearts: the shop Oinos Greek Wine has three of the wines discussed here in stock (in the same vintage). The Ktima Gerovassiliou Chardonnay 2020 for €18.95, the Château Julia Chardonnay 2021 for €11.95, and the Domaine Hatzimichalis Chardonnay Single Vineyard Houlevena 2021 for €10.70. (The Tramonto from Alpha Estate linked above is also available, in the 2019 vintage, for €17.99.) Anyone who'd like to follow our tasting notes in practice, and support our website in the process, can place an order via this form (in German), which earns us a small commission from the shop. We'd of course love to hear your feedback on the wines, whether you agree or your impressions differ!