Closing the Grilling Season with Cabernet Sauvignon

While bitter cold reigns outside, we want to take another look back at a tasting we held at the end of October - in glorious sunshine and summery temperatures. They allowed us to fire up the grill one more time and, after several great white-wine tastings during this outdoor season (with Assyrtiko (in German), Malagousia (in German), and Moschofilero (in German), for example), to hold a lovely red-wine tasting outdoors as well. Single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon was to take center stage this time. In what follows, the wines (arranged by age in the photo) are presented in ascending order of their scores.

Somewhat outside the competition are two wines from the large producer Cavino, whose red Atelier we were able to track down online for the tasting in the 1991 and 1997 vintages. The white counterpart made from the Moschofilero grape, which we had in the glass recently (in German) in the 1994 vintage, still managed a solid 15 points after all. In terms of color, at least the 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon still gave some cause for hope. On the nose, too, the impression of Rumtopf (at a sensationally low 12% alcohol!) whets the appetite. On the palate, a decent dose of oak still resists the decline, and is even a touch better integrated than in the Cuvée Porfyros from Domaine Spiropoulos (in German), which we had in the glass recently only two years younger. However: the fruit has already largely faded, leaving many gaps particularly on the finish. Unfortunately, this now amounts to only 9 points.

The 1991 already shows considerably more brown reflections, is less heavy on the nose, and recalls raisins above all. On the palate it is still astonishingly fresh, yet quite one-dimensional. Still, this already amounts to an interesting 10 points.

The red estate wine from Theotoky Estate on the island of Corfu clearly stands out from the lineup of wines tasted. At 12.5% for this 2019 , only the decades-older Cavino wines came anywhere near such low-flying alcohol levels. And the wine can actually go even lower: at 11.5% in the 2018 vintage, it quite won over Yiannis Karakasis, who awarded 88 points and called it the "lightest rendition of this grape anywhere". On the nose the organic wine shows itself as rather wild; with a bit more air, leather comes through here as well. On the palate the wine - which by its color one might take for a Pinot Noir - is actually quite fruity, strongly recalling red currant in terms of aromatics, acidity, and tannin. This is only faintly reminiscent of Cabernet Sauvignon, and not at all of Greece. At a mere 50m above sea level, such freshness inevitably comes at the price of an early harvest and correspondingly green notes. If you are absolutely set on finding a Greek Cabernet Sauvignon that can be served with fish, you could hardly do better than this. All in all, it earns a very good 15.5 points.

Situated 700m higher up are the vines from which the Αυλοτόπι from Ktima Tselepou, which is known above all for its Moschofilero, is made. The PGI Tegea otherwise only rarely makes it into the glass. The wine is among the pricier Greek Cabernet Sauvignons, available in Germany for just over 20€. In that respect, though, it disappoints a little. On the nose the 2019 vintage still comes across very harmoniously, uniting its 14.5% alcohol with good primary fruit. On the palate, however, the tannin of the youngest wine in this tasting still presents itself with a demanding, mineral character and, aromatically, leaves little room alongside notes of juniper berry. A wine that needs more maturity and one we will continue to follow. If Yiannis Karakasis is to be believed - he offered this assessment based on tasting the 2001 - the wine holds up for a good 20 years. Four years, on the other hand, were too few for the 2012. Accordingly, one may surmise that the 2019, too, has not yet reached its peak. At the present moment, the wine deserves a very good 16 points.

When you manage to track down for a tasting the final vintage - namely 2012 - of the cult wine Trilogia , still produced by its creator Christos Kokkalis himself, and at the end of the evening the bottle is still half full, then that speaks volumes - for all our affection for the wine. For an age of "only" a decade, the wine already comes across with quite a lot of oxidative notes. Even earlier there were certain vintages that lacked staying power (as was apparently the case with 2001). Unfortunately, this probably also applies to the final vintage before a one-year pause, after which Ktima Biblia Chora carried on under the new name Ktima Dio Ipsi. (See below on this.) We had already opened a bottle from the same case recently. Next to the four-year-older Etos 2008 from Ktima Biblia Chora (which was on hand again this time as well, see below), it already seemed distinctly more mature. But since it offered up a good deal of leather and cigar box on the nose, the wine did have a character all its own and could hold its ground. With this bottle we had less luck. The grippy tannin and the genuinely remarkable finish (lots of mocha) came across as somewhat thin compared to the other wines. The bottle tasted recently sits closer to 17 points, but here it was just barely an outstanding 16.5 points. In any case, there is probably no more need to keep these bottles lying around if you still have some. (Should anyone have even older vintages: we would be very interested in them!)

The red Mati Fortuna 2016 from AstirX initially left us rather perplexed. The white wine of the same name (in German) had not exactly whipped us into raptures. Against that somewhat half-baked cuvée stands a wine here that was evidently produced with serious ambition, even though - as with the producer's other wines - grapes from several growers on the Peloponnese were processed. For the wine matured not only for two years in new French oak barrels, but afterward for another two years in the bottle before it came to market. The solution to the riddle is that the winery also produces a Gold variant of the series in both white and red, so we had in fact initially been comparing apples with oranges. In terms of price, however, that does not make a world of difference, since the wine goes for under 15€ in Greece. For a wine with such elaborate aging, this is of course very affordable by international standards - especially since that aging was put to very effective use: as the only wine in the lineup, this bottle distinguished itself through pronounced vanilla aromatics. It also drew attention with floral aromas on the nose - violets above all. So even though the very greatest complexity is missing, one has to acknowledge: "mission accomplished." The wine does what it is supposed to. In one respect, however, this still has to prove itself. For despite the strong oak framework, it did not have the best staying power over several days. How it will show in five or ten years remains to be seen. For now we award an outstanding 16.5 points.

From the 2017 vintage no fewer than four wines were in the running, so as our benchmark wine we brought in the Bin 407 from Penfolds , which is quite comparable at least as far as alcohol goes (14.5%). On the nose a great load of fruit leaps out at you as well, which at first makes you fear for how the Greek competitors will fare. However, the whole thing does drift somewhat toward the jammy and, interestingly, has nothing left to offer after a few days. Still, undeniably a wine with very good drinkability and tannins that should please a broad range of wine drinkers. That would be an outstanding 16.5 points, and thus a perfect starting point for checking whether there are Greek wines of the same vintage that can keep up for considerably less money, or even come out ahead.

The Klima Klima from Tsantali from the year 2017 (PGI Chalkidiki) stands out above all for its dark-berry aromas that define the wine. On the nose, smoky aromas dominate at first, but on the palate a fat load of blackberry then just about knocks you off your chair, before, on the finish, blackcurrant takes over in entirely varietal fashion. A well-made wine that, structurally, cannot quite play in the top leagues across the board. An outstanding 16.5 points. By the way: the name is likely to confuse German speakers somewhat with its doubling of "Klima" - but it makes sense in that in Greek κλίμα ("climate") and κλήμα ("grapevine") sound alike and are therefore transcribed identically.

With 20 years of cellaring potential, the label of the Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 from Domaine Hatzimichalis (PGI Atalanti) makes its pitch - a winery that played a pioneering role in aging single-varietal wines in Greek viticulture. After a quarter of this promised span, aromatically, the wine is already well on its way to maturity. After 10 years in total, one should probably give bottles resting in the cellar another try. The tannin framework, however, will surely carry the wine well beyond that. That said, a little acidity is lacking to allow for really great optimism here. And as far as drinkability goes, this aspect holds things back a touch as well. A wine that is nonetheless undoubtedly very tasty, standing out from the field for its heavy aromas, dark berries, and above all bittersweet chocolate. For now that amounts to an outstanding 17 points. And who knows - perhaps in five years it will be even more. In any case, the wine has the staying power to leave the equivalent Penfolds far behind after a few days.

That leaves two more wines for the year 2017 - both are aged in the same cellar, both have 15% alcohol. In the one case, however, the grapes come directly from the vineyards around Ktima Biblia Chora (PGI Pangeon), and in the other from the vineyards that Christos Kokkalis had originally planted in PGI Ilia, near Skafidia, and whose wine now trades under the name Ktima Dio Ipsi. Naturally, there is much muttering among the original Kokkalis fans about the new wines, which are still marketed under the name Trilogia . And indeed these no longer have the advantage of a second wine, for which one could use barrels of less convincing wine, since the Agiorgitiko cuvée that used to be called "Mova" is now sold as "Dialogos" and with Syrah (see here (in German)). At the very least, though, the bottle we tasted gives no cause for pessimism, but rather commands admiration for the very long finish full of cassis notes typical of the variety. That already amounts to an outstanding 17 points after all, even if not yet the truly great triumph. What one does miss, in the end, is a bit of the harder edge of the old Kokkalis wines, with more brutal tannin and a stronger leaning toward cigar box. In any case, it will be exciting to see where things are headed - and at least the comparison with the Ovilos 2017 stands out positively in that both wines have their own distinct character and no uniform house style is bulldozed through.

The Ovilos is likewise clearly recognizable as a Cabernet Sauvignon and distinguishes itself with very round tannin and a lot of pressure on the palate. Here one may already award a magnificent 17.5 points - though, in fairness, one also has to say that for some participants in the tasting the wine was probably a touch too polished. For if you take the fill level at the end of the evening as your yardstick, other wines came out ahead. That may also be down to the fruity sweetness, which predestines the wine for cold winter evenings rather than for closing out the grilling season at over 20°C at the end of October. Right now, for instance, I would very much love to still have a bottle on the shelf...

The red Λευκή Πόλη 2018 from Melidou Winery in PGI Serres divided opinion the most in the tasting. With blueberry clearly to the fore here, this is not the most typical Cabernet Sauvignon in the field. But the wine is so wonderfully round and its 14% alcohol so superbly integrated - and lifting the nose as well - that one simply must award a magnificent 17.5 points here. The wine, produced by the small winery according to ecological principles, can be had for around 10€. Incredible.

Rated higher, then, is only one more wine - the only one that comes anywhere near the Bin 407 from Penfolds in terms of price. After the Merlot in 2006, this Cabernet Sauvignon from the year 2008 is the second wine in the Etos series from Ktima Biblia Chora. The first bottle, which we had recently, could easily have been taken for one 10 years younger; in this tasting the first - appropriate! - notes of maturity were nonetheless discernible. But it will surely remain a pleasure for decades to come. A wine with wonderful fruit and polished tannin, about as good as it gets. There's no need to mince words: clearly a phenomenal wine of 18.5 points. Sadly, though, not many bottles are probably still floating around on the secondary market.