Andreou Winery — Thiseas 2017

As part of a tasting of Agiorgitiko cuvées, the Thiseas cuvée from Andreou Winery was tasted — a blend where Agiorgitiko plays second fiddle at 30%, with Syrah dominating at 70%. The winery, which has been around since 1995, only switched to bottled production in 2017. To then aim straight for a 'gastronomic wine' is pretty ambitious, to say the least. What starts out rather restrained on the nose turns out to be genuinely convincing and expressive on the palate. There's a wealth of dark fruit here, paired with pleasantly subtle spices. Blueberry, pepper — but also violet — become increasingly beguiling. Above all, the wine remains a pleasure as it warms up — because at just 13% alcohol, it's remarkably lean for a Greek red. A dense, deeply impressive cuvée that earns a magnificent 93 points.