Greek Syrah: From Sweet to Indestructible

Syrah first gained wider recognition in Greece through the single-varietal wines from Ktima Carras in the early 1990s. Since then, after Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Syrah has been the most important international red grape variety in Greece – although many say that, climatically, it ought really to take precedence. Personally, I see this somewhat differently. In my view, Greece produces outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon (in German), Merlot with a unique character (above all Lacules Estate and now the new "Emperor" from Papargyriou) and several Bordeaux blends (in German) at world-class level. Syrah plays a role in some important blends (e.g. in Alpha Estate's "S.M.X." (in German)). Its single-varietal expression, however, has not yet fully won me over. But every now and then one should of course put one's prejudices to the test again – and to that end, a few weeks ago I organized a larger tasting for my birthday, featuring a broad range of Syrah wines from Greece. Before we get to these red wines, though, a few rosés should first be discussed …

Particularly recommendable here is, for instance, the Biblia Chora Rosé from Ktima Biblia Chora (in German). The last time I had it in the glass was the 2021, back then still a very fresh vintage 2021. On the nose the wine was very refreshing. I had opened it alongside the Kanenas Rosé from Tsantali, which is comparable in some respects but combines Syrah with Mavroudi. The single-varietal version from Ktima Biblia Chora already appeared less extracted in color, and this is confirmed on the nose as well. Sweetish strawberry notes are balanced out by green apple and never come across as kitschy. On the palate there is pleasant acidity with an invigorating bitter note. The finish is not at all modest for an entry-level wine like this; it's just that the overall flavor arc isn't especially varied. In any case, though, an outstanding wine that deserves 90 points and provides lots of enjoyment in summer!

This spring we then tasted a few other Syrah rosés that had been produced at a similar time (2020 and 2021), but which had of course now aged a little. The Theotoky Rosé 2020 comes in at just 11.5% alcohol. The organic wine shows light orange reflections and is rather restrained on the nose. It is a light wine in which apple, grapefruit and melon form a fruity mix on the palate. A very good 86 points.

Also already somewhat aged is the Artemis Syrah 2020 from Olympia Lang Estate. Despite oxidation visible in its color, the wine from PGI Elia is aromatically quite complex. On the nose the entire range is covered, from elderflower through gooseberries, limes and strawberries all the way to raisins. 14% alcohol lend the wine solid body. It lacks a little acidity, though. On the palate, stone fruit such as nectarine and tropical fruit such as mango join in. But here, too, red cherry and blueberry once again provide plenty of variety. A very good 89 points.

Noticeably fresher than the preceding wines is the Lefki Poli Rosé 2021 from the Melidou Winery. It still shines in color, too, and is even faintly sparkling on top of that. On the nose it shows a very balanced profile with pineapple and red currant and a little kirsch – on the palate, too, the alcohol, 13%, is clearly noticeable. But herbs such as mint and lavender are also added. In terms of flavor, a hint of floral notes and some stone fruit then come in as well. A very good wine of 88 points.

Now, though, to the red wines. 14 different bottlings, 13 from Greece (one international benchmark wine of good reputation), one of them a sweet wine.

The Mavros Vrachos 2019 from the Melidou Winery (PGI Serres) is admittedly more of an entry-level wine, but it can certainly hold its own. The color is more reddish than violet, but typical aromas of blueberry on the tongue do let you quickly identify the grape variety after all. Rather light tannin structure and low acidity. On the other hand, still quite fresh even in its fourth year. 14.5% alcohol, very well integrated. Drinking very well now. A very good 89 points!

Also from 2019 was the 101 Portes from the Toplou Winery (PGI Lasithi). It is a touch more intense. On the nose the aromatics are slightly barnyard-y, but still very discreet and safely in attractive territory. Here you have a good dose of spice in the glass, as becomes apparent right on the first sip – so that the blueberry only appears in the finish. It's surprising that the alcohol sits at just 13%. A wine that is perhaps not perfectly balanced, but is nonetheless very attractive thanks to its layered complexity, and likewise deserves a very good 89 points.

Already in outstanding territory, then, is the Syrah 2014 from Ktima Gerovassiliou (PGI Epanomi), for here we ultimately awarded 90 points. The 2019, which we had tasted last year, in 2022, had come in at pretty much exactly this level. It had gentle smoky aromas and, in the finish, traces of plum and bloody notes. The tannins, however, were still very sharp there, and many green notes were still perceptible on the entry. Together with the varietally typical pepper, that was a little overwhelming. Only over the following days did it open up and release mocha notes that had until then remained in the background. That is why we have now procured an older vintage again. It seems, though, that we first tasted a little too early (in the third year) and now a little late (in the ninth year). At some point we'll have to put a vintage somewhere in between under the microscope again … In any case, one thing is perfectly clear: this 2014 was the wine with the loveliest smoky aromatics (fresh wood-fired pizza!) of the tasting, even if a bit younger it would probably have been stronger.

We had also already had the Syrah 2017 from Alpha Estate (PGI Florina) in the glass last year, in 2022, and indeed in the same vintage. Back then it struck us as still a bit jammy and ultimately not superior to the Axia 2017 (in German), even though here only the fruit from the "Turtles" single vineyard was used (single-varietal, of course, in return). Nothing came across as over-extracted now. On the entry, rather, a good acidity refreshes. In terms of flavor, the first tertiary notes can now be discerned. Anyone who likes red wines precisely at this stage has a wonderful wine here. Compared with the only slightly younger but nonetheless considerably fresher wines, though, it had a somewhat harder time of it. Even so, the result was an outstanding 91 points.

The Syrah Drisbay 2018 from Domaine Hatzimichalis (PGI Atalanti) ran a close neck-and-neck race with the Alpha Estate wine in the follow-up tastings. Typical here are flint and pepper. Rather unusual is the cherry aroma. But since it lends the wine fruit even after days, the wine ultimately arrives at an outstanding 91 points.

Probably the best-known Greek winery for Syrah, Avantis Estate (PGI Evia), had sent us the entry-level wine ("Classic") from 2020. Syrah doesn't get more prototypical than this. Violet color, violets on the nose, blueberry and pepper on the palate. On top of that, a pretty hearty dose of tannin. Not the most complex wine, but already quite a powerhouse, at a still fairly moderate 13.9% alcohol. Only for some, perhaps, a bit too sweet on the finish, where clove also plays a big part. An outstanding 91 points.

The Emphasis Syrah from Ktima Pavlidis (PGI Drama) is stylistically quite similar to the Syrah Classic from Avantis Estate, but a year older, that is, from the 2019 vintage, which does it good. The wine is denser and has considerably stronger pull. The wine may well be laid down for a few more years, but can just as easily be enjoyed right now. Convincing across the board. Hence: an outstanding 91 points.

At this point in the ranking, the evening's only dessert wine now also slots in, the Princess 2016 from the already mentioned Avantis Estate (PGI Evia). It admittedly does not have the density of the Mavrodaphne so typical of Greece. Still less does it have the complexity that Greek sweet wines made from white grape varieties can sometimes offer. But it is wonderfully balanced and fresh – and the ideal accompaniment to a mousse au chocolat.

Before we come to the wines already in "great" territory (i.e., 93 points and up), I now have to squeeze in a wine in between that I was unfortunately only able to try recently, the Avus 2016 from the Nadir Winery. On the nose the fruit is entirely concentrated on blackberry, but without ever drifting into overripe or jammy territory. Wonderful bacon notes join them. Take a sip, and you have the feeling of sucking on smoked salted almonds. The tannin is fine, the acidity supports the wine well, the 15% alcohol is noticeable but well integrated. The first finish is somewhat restrained, but then, in a second finish, a solid hit of plum and a truly wonderful hint of juniper come through again. The wine is already a delight now, yet what still keeps it from reaching greater heights is partly that the individual aroma phases appear one after another, so that the impression of complexity turns out a little smaller than will probably be possible for the wine in one or two years. No tertiary aromas can be detected yet. There's more to come here! So: an outstanding 92+ points. A wine that really stands out from the lineup of wines that were part of the tasting, to which we now return …

Actually, we had intended the Syrah 2018 from Boekenhoutskloof (Swartland, South Africa) as a benchmark wine for the absolute top. It was crowned with 97 points by Decanter and Tim Atkin. The nose is indeed very intense, almost perfumed. Red currant in particular draws attention to itself here. A fine wine with a long finish. But even an already great 93 points is quite enough to do the wine justice.

The premium Syrah from Avantis Estate, the Collection 2019, in any case gives nothing away in quality to the better-known wine from South Africa. The fruit bomb almost overwhelms on the entry, but then ebbs away harmoniously. For some, there may again be a bit too much sweetness in play on the finish here. After that, though, the aromatics – here shaped for once by blackberry – come to the fore again. A terrific wine that likewise deserves 93 points.

The Le Roi des Montagnes Syrah 2020 from the Papargyriou Winery is a powerhouse. Tannin, alcohol (15%), sweetness, dense aromas … There's quite a lot to chew on here. Thanks to good acidity, though, the wine is not overwhelming. Still, it's more something for those with a sweet tooth than for an after-work glass. In this style, without parallel in Greece. However, in this state the wine is clearly still far too young. A great 93+ points. Anyone who isn't averse to high alcohol but nonetheless prefers things a little more restrained will probably be somewhat better served, though, by the Avus from the Nadir Winery.

The Syrah 2019 from Lacules Estate on the Peloponnese comes into the glass distinctly thinner in body and isn't quite as demanding. Its complexity, however, does not suffer from this in any way. A wonderfully dense wine. René Gabriel had given the 2017 18 points. We give a correspondingly great 94 points.

With the Nostos from the Manousakis Winery (PGI Chania) one was of course entitled to have certain hopes, given that Yiannis Karakasis had already called the 2014 a candidate for the country's best Syrah. And indeed it immediately won us over on the nose with a wonderfully attractive mix of spices, the like of which, in this tasting, at most the Le Roy des Montagnes from the Papargyriou Winery still had to offer. Except that the wine arrives much more delicately on the palate. And at last there was also an appetizing helping of bacon for once. (As mentioned, the Avus 2016 from the Nadir Winery was unfortunately not in the flight back then!) It really doesn't get much better than this. A phenomenal 96 points. But beware: the wine collapsed rather quickly over the following days. So one should probably not lay the 2017 vintage down for all too much longer.

Sounds like a spectacular finale to this article. But wait, there's one more to go. Alongside the 2019, Lacules Estate had also sent us the 2018. Man, that was another difference altogether! Smoke, vanilla, silkiness, fruit, all wonderfully balanced. We are speechless. This, too, is without doubt in phenomenal territory, just ahead of the Nostos. And because the latter collapsed noticeably after a few days, while the wine from Lacules Estate still stood firm as ever, there's an extra point on top – and thus a phenomenal 98+ points! Yes, we even dare to use the plus sign, because unlike some other wines of the tasting, which rather seem to point to a shorter aging potential for Greek Syrah – with the exception of the still too young Le Roi des Montagnes Syrah 2020 from Papargyriou, which brings enough substance to survive a few years; and alongside the Avus 2016 from the Nadir Winery, which was unfortunately not in the flight back then but has already proven its aging ability – this wine really is made for the cellar. In fact, I have never had such an indestructible Greek wine in my hands. I hardly dare say it, but the (very thick-walled and opaque) bottle passed the terrace test with flying colors. Despite spring temperatures and direct sunlight, the wine was still drinkable even after a whole month (!) – yes (and admitting this now comes even harder to me), even with enjoyment. Incredible.