Merlot for Easter

For this year's Easter celebration there was once again Greek Merlot, which we then retasted a few days later with friends over a few nibbles. As an appetiser we also had a rosé, the ΡΟΕΖ Merlot 2020 from Oinotropai Winery. This small estate in PGI Messinia produces a few exciting reds we will come back to - the Merlot, however, is made as a rosé. As such it is quite rare in Greece as a single varietal - and not only there: at Lobenberg, just three such wines are currently listed. Sniffing the glass, one wonders why that actually is. Pleasant lime aromas permeate red fruit. On the palate the wine then steps up with wonderful honey aromas. For 13% it is quite full-bodied, adds a few bitter notes on top, but with only a medium-length finish is not too insistent. A little too complex for "everybody's darling", yet not too playful. A straightforward wine with a certain ambition. Just right for uncomplicated toasting - with people who do give a little thought to what is in their glass. At the upper end of the spectrum of refreshing summer wines, and thus worth an excellent 16.5 points.

The benchmark for Greek Merlot as a red wine has so far been, for us, the Plagios (Sideways) red 2013 from Ktima Biblia Chora. We gave that vintage a very enthusiastic phenomenal 18.5 points last year. The detailed review is here.

Accordingly, we would have liked to bring it in again this year as our reference wine. From our partner, however, only the following vintage 2014 and a few remaining bottles of 2012 could still be ordered. So the reference wine itself first had to undergo closer examination. The 2014 initially met all the expectations its predecessor had raised. The fantastically integrated oak, with highly complex notes of nougat and nuts, was particularly inviting. The refreshing acidity and the "only" 14.5% alcohol also do the wine good. However, what we wrote about the 2013 - that it could easily lie for another five years or so - does not hold for it. The wine we had in the glass this time can in good conscience be drunk in the near future. For that reason, and because the second bottle showed somewhat less spectacular oak aromas, it still receives a great 18 points.

Said second bottle we only opened a few days later, because at the retasting already mentioned the first one was, for understandable reasons, no longer available. Surprised by the somewhat different impression, we then opened the 2012 as well. And promptly the reference wine itself became the centre of the tasting. On the nose, this vintage showed itself already clearly matured - as a Merlot may after 10 years. Anyone who likes mature Merlot but does not yet need mushroom aromatics will be very happy here. The wine retains decent complexity even after several days. On the palate, however, the 15% alcohol ultimately comes through quite strongly and - this was very surprising - the wine is far more astringent than its brother two years its junior. The result is just about an excellent 17.5 points. I briefly wondered whether the difference might have to do with the wine containing 15% Agiorgitiko in earlier vintages. And indeed the winery confirmed to me that the 2014, unlike the 2012, contains 100% Merlot. However - that already applies to the 2013, which in memory sits very close to the 2014! A pity, in any case, that we did not have the 2013 available for direct comparison ... Anyone who knows how to track down the years 2012 to 2014 will certainly have an exciting evening with them ...

By the way: the 2014 vintage of this wine can be ordered from our partner shop via this link for €19.80. (Orders via this link support our website.)

Against this background, three other bottles of Merlot then had to be placed. First up was the Merlot Yataki (Υιατάκι) Vineyard 2017 from Domaine Hatzimichalis. After half a decade, this wine from PGI Atalanti likewise presented appropriate maturity on the nose. Primary fruit, above all raspberry, was still dominant though; tannin on the palate soft but clinging. Actually a promising point. Overall, however, it still receives "only" a very good 16 points. That there is not more is down to a single factor: on the finish, the alcohol (14.5%) is simply (far) too dominant, leaving a burning impression for minutes. The 15-20 years of ageing suggested on the website strike us as rather optimistic in any case. As a young wine, though, we can well imagine it. It would of course also be interesting to take aim at other maturing vintages some time ... Also worth knowing: the Yataki is the entry-level Merlot at Hatzimichalis. With the Alargino, the estate has a considerably higher-priced wine, which we have not yet been able to taste.

Against this background, the Rigma Merlot 2020 from Ktima Papoutsi (not to be confused with Ktima Papoutsis from PDO Nemea; incidentally, the estate discussed here is also not written and stressed like the Greek word for "shoe", παπούτσι, but Παπουτσή) from the same region - the two estates lie just a minute apart - stands out in particular. At only 13% alcohol, this organic wine is far rounder and thus allows a variety-typical impression on the palate. Add to that very appetising cherry aromas at the forefront of the nose. One small drop of bitterness: the 15% Cabernet Sauvignon - gratifyingly declared on the label - more than makes up for the shorter cask ageing (8 instead of 12 months) as far as the tannins are concerned. The wine is still too astringent. On account of the positive aspects mentioned, however, it already deserves an excellent 16.5 points - with plenty of room to grow.

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To cover blackberry aromas after raspberry and cherry, we move north-east to PGI Drama, where Costas Lazaridis brings the Chateau Julia Merlot 2020, named after his wife, to market. Here too we meet 14.5% alcohol. In this case, however, it does not stand out negatively in any way. On the contrary. The wine has an enormous amount of extract and carries it excellently. Indeed, at first glance one would hardly take it for a Merlot. The flying oenologist Michel Rolland has truly pressed his stamp deep here. This dense wine with an enormously long finish undoubtedly already deserves a great 17.5 points. With time there is probably more in it. For at the moment, at least shortly after opening, vanilla aromatics still dominate rather strongly for our taste. As already seen with another wine from the estate, though, those can undergo quite elegant transformations over time. So we venture the prediction that 18 points should be reachable with more maturity. If we ever get a matured vintage in the glass, we will certainly report!

Anyone who wants to join the conversation and do our website a good turn at the same time: our partner shop actually has the wine slightly older. The 2019 vintage is available there for €17.50 a bottle, which really is a very good price. Simply order via this link and we receive a small commission.