Ktima Dyio Ipsi — Trilogia 2017

The Trilogia, since the end of the Christos Kokkalis era, is now continued under the name Ktima Dio Ipsi by Ktima Biblia Chora. The grapes still come from the vineyards that Kokkalis originally planted in the PGI Ilia near Skafidia, but the winemaking now takes place in the Biblia Chora cellar. Among the early Kokkalis fans, there's naturally plenty of grumbling about the new wines. On top of that, they no longer have the advantage of a second wine to channel less convincing barrels into, since the Agiorgitiko cuvée formerly called 'Mova' is now sold as 'Dialogos' and blended with Syrah. At least the bottle of the 2017 tasted as part of a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon lineup gives no cause for pessimism — quite the opposite, it commands respect for its very long finish brimming with textbook cassis notes. An excellent 92 points, even if it's not yet a home run. You do miss, just a little, the harder edge of the old Kokkalis wines, with their more brutal tannins and stronger leaning toward cigar box. The comparison with the Ovilos 2017 from the same cellar is encouraging in that both wines retain their own distinct character — no uniform house style is being steamrolled through.