Ktima Biblia Chora — Areti rot 2013

The red Areti from Ktima Biblia Chora is an Agiorgitiko wine produced outside the PDO Nemea. In a small comparative tasting of Agiorgitiko wines, it came into the glass after a rather young, heavily oxidatively aged Agiorgitiko from Giannikos Winery and a somewhat older Agiorgitiko that was still completely overwhelmed by oak (from Ktima Pavlidis).

Against that backdrop, we turned rather tentatively to the already somewhat aged version from Biblia Chora. With considerable skepticism, we opened the 2013 bottle, which features a drawing by the winemaker's daughter – Vassilios Tsaktsarlis's child – depicting her father returning from the vineyard. The wine is named after her.

All fears that the wine might already be past its prime, however, quickly proved entirely unfounded. Wonderfully fresh fruit aromas and a slightly bloody minerality captivate the nose. On the palate too, the wine shows soft tannins, solid thrust, and a complexity that's quite remarkable for the variety – but above all, that effortless drinkability so typical of Agiorgitiko, which here doesn't come at the expense of a long finish. A simply magnificent wine that easily earns its 94 points.

A mature wine that will certainly hold up for a few more years, but can also be opened right now without any regret. Just one thing to keep in mind: drink it up quickly once opened. A day later, it already shows noticeably weaker. With a wine that has this kind of pull, though, that's hardly going to be a problem in practice … and certainly not at Christmas.

If you love cherry and normally reach for Sangiovese to serve the family, you can safely leave the Chianti in the cellar this year. The Areti from Ktima Biblia Chora is guaranteed to satisfy everyone – both those who simply enjoy the taste of cherry and those who want something more sophisticated. In Germany, the wine can be found for around €20.