Alpha Estate — S.M.X. 2017

The S.M.X 2017 from Alpha Estate is in many ways the big brother to the Axia, the cuvée of Syrah and Xinomavro. In the S.M.X, Syrah is even more dominant at 60%, while Xinomavro and Merlot share the role of blending partners in equal parts. Already on the nose, the even more serious ambitions are confirmed. Wet flint joins the fruit here, which is now noticeably darker, reminiscent of blueberry and especially blackberry. Add a touch of clove, which doesn't polarize here but is beautifully integrated. On the palate, very enticing chorizo notes alongside plum. In the mid-palate, some orange zest takes over along with a generous dose of rosemary. On the finish comes coffee, which has no trouble keeping up with the 14.5% alcohol, giving way to pepper in a second wave of aftertaste. All of this is present very quickly after opening, even though decanting certainly won't hurt. But it doesn't need several days to come around. A wine that at 95 points is as phenomenal as you'd expect from yields reduced to just 25.5 hl/ha at a winery like Alpha Estate. The 93 points from Robert Parker that the wine had already received are more than fair. Really, you should put this bottle on the shelf for a few years, as it likely has aging potential matched by very few other red wines from Greece. But that's hard to do, because the contents are already damn delicious right now. At around €20 a bottle, the value for money is outstanding.