Cavino – Nemea 1978

This Nemea 1978 from Cavino was opened as part of a small 45th-birthday tasting alongside several aged wines from the same vintage, including a Château Mouton Rothschild 1978 and a Château Margaux 1978. Cavino, founded in 1958 – exactly twenty years before this wine was made – is perhaps better known today for producing Greek wines widely available at discount retailers around the world, so expectations were not particularly high. But the wine proved to be a genuine revelation. On the nose, it displayed enticing blueberry aromas, while the palate was remarkably smooth for its age, leading into a long, lingering aftertaste marked by seabuckthorn and intriguing bloody notes. Made from 100% Agiorgitiko as required by the PDO Nemea appellation, this bottle outscored both the Mouton Rothschild 1978 (which was sadly not enjoyable, likely due to a poor bottle rather than the wine's true quality) and the Château Margaux 1978, which showed a captivating peppery, cassis-driven nose but remained quite harsh on the palate. Of course, at this age there are only good bottles, not good wines – but the impression this Nemea left was undeniable. What an exciting find, earning an excellent 90 points.