Katogi Averoff — Inima Negoska 2017

Negoska is a grape variety you very rarely get to taste on its own. Most people know it as a blending partner with Xinomavro in the PDO Goumenissa, where it's supposed to make the wine a touch softer than in other regions where Xinomavro is grown. But let me say right away: you won't find any trace of that softening quality in this wine.

That doesn't mean it's poorly made. Quite the opposite. On the nose, it initially presents almost exclusively earthy notes. But over time, a fruit character does emerge that you'd most readily associate with Amarena cherry. This impression gradually becomes softer, conveys a sense of creaminess, and leads you to expect sweetness. Malolactic fermentation and bâtonnage have clearly been deployed here to great effect.

But then you take the first sip and discover, with some astonishment, that there's absolutely nothing resembling a Black Forest gateau in your mouth. Instead, your palate is immediately and completely coated by an extremely grippy tannin. Searching for aromas becomes a real challenge — you get only split-second glimpses before the wine makes any aftertaste impossible again. It's like biting into an anthill! With a lot of patience, you find a little plum, a bit more orange zest. And then Christmas spices too, especially clove.

What to make of a wine like this? It's probably a must-try for Nebbiolo fans — though they'll have to accept less color and low alcohol (12.5%). It's a wine you can spend a lot of time with, provided you bring some frustration tolerance. And after being open longer and paired with rich food — like a Pastitio with a generous amount of béchamel sauce — it does show a noticeably tamer side. It's probably a "very good" wine that deserves 88 points, but it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea.

Whether it becomes more approachable with extended cellaring remains an open question. The case against that is that not much refinement has occurred since Peter Moser tasted the still very young wine for Falstaff. Simos Georgopoulos of the FNL Guide is skeptical.