Ktima Biblia Chora — Plagios rot 2012

As part of an Easter tasting of Greek Merlots, the Plagios (Sideways) rot 2012 from Ktima Biblia Chora was opened in a direct comparison with the 2014 vintage of the same wine. On the nose, this vintage showed clear signs of maturity after ten years – as a Merlot is perfectly entitled to after that amount of time. If you enjoy mature Merlot but don't yet need mushroomy aromatics, this will make you very happy. The wine also retained considerable complexity even after several days. On the palate, however, the 15% alcohol does ultimately punch through quite noticeably and – this was a real surprise – the wine is far more astringent than its two-year-younger sibling, the 2014. The result is already a thoroughly excellent 93 points. One possible explanation for the difference: the 2012 still contained 15% Agiorgitiko, while the 2014 is a single-varietal Merlot. That said, the same applies to the 2013, which from memory sits very close to the 2014. Anyone who manages to track down the 2012 through 2014 vintages will certainly have a fascinating evening with them.