La Tour Melas – Palies Rizes 2020

The Palies Rizes 2020 from La Tour Melas (100% Agiorgitiko, 14%) – the name means "old roots" – is based on an over 100-year-old, own-rooted, and therefore pre-phylloxera Agiorgitiko vineyard in Floiountas near Nemea, which Panos Zoumboulis rediscovered in 2013.

The La Tour Melas estate itself, however, is located in Achinos in Fthiotida, central Greece, where Kyros Melas set out in 2000 with the declared aim of producing a Greek wine at "1st Growth" level. That is why the label lists only "Dry Red Wine of Greece" as its category, with no protected origin: a PDO Nemea requires that the wine also be vinified within the zone, and it is vinified in Achinos; the PGI Fthiotida, in turn, which the estate's other wines carry, is ruled out because the grapes do not come from there.

The vineyard management is organic with biodynamic elements, and yields are extremely low at 15 hl/ha. In the cellar, fermentation is with wild yeasts, with vinification and malolactic fermentation taking place 80% in stainless steel and 20% in wood, after which the wine matures for 15 months in 400-litre barrels of Austrian oak. No fining.

La Tour Melas is a member of the international Francs de Pied Association; the 2020 was poured at an official Francs de Pied tasting at 67 Pall Mall in London. Julia Harding MW ranks it among the producer's top three wines.

Expressive nose, with plenty of dark fruit, including juniper berry. Very, very finely honed tannin, already very drinkable. Good minerality. Very long finish. A very, very good wine.

As a fan of Greece, you may perhaps have to try it at some point. But anyone wanting a more reasonable price should probably reach instead for the Apeiro "∞" 2015 (55.55 euros at Wine and Nature). For me, this is 94 points.