Kokotos Estate — Agiorgitiko 2020

The Kokotos Agiorgitiko "Three Hills" 2020 from Ktima Kokotos (PGI Peloponnese, 100% Agiorgitiko, 12.5%) comes from a winery in Stamata in Attica, northeast of Athens. The estate's own vineyards there sit at approximately 450 meters elevation, are organically certified, and are planted on limestone and schist soils. For the Three Hills, however, Kokotos sources the fruit from partner vineyards in Nemea — so the wine is not an estate wine in the strict sense. The fact that it is labelled as PGI Peloponnese rather than PDO Nemea, even though the grapes originate from the PDO zone, underscores that this is more of a regionally stylized Kokotos interpretation of Nemea fruit than a classic PDO-style wine. The varietal history is also interesting: older vintages (2016, 2018) still contained 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; the shift to 100% Agiorgitiko appears to have taken place from 2019 onward. The grapes are hand-harvested and cooled overnight, then destemmed. Extraction lasts 8–10 days, fermentation approximately 15 days in stainless steel at 20–22 °C. After that, according to Julia Harding MW, the 2020 spent five months in second-fill oak — entirely geared toward early accessibility. Production stands at 10,000 bottles. Very intense nose. Red fruit, but also plums. On the palate it is refreshing, building slowly, with good length. Smoky, despite only a few months of ageing in used oak. A refreshing yet elegant wine at 12.5% alcohol. Agiorgitiko as I would like to see it more often. Serve lightly chilled. 92 points — outstanding quality for just 10 euros.