Nico Lazaridi – Perpetuus 2018

Calling your wine "indestructible" – the meaning of Perpetuus – is risky, so I was very interested to see whether the confidence Nico Lazaridi seems to have in this series is justified. I had never tried one of these labels before, but since I was preparing an article on Cabernet Franc from Greece, this blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Mavroudi from the PGI Drama appellation in Macedonia seemed like a good start. Unfortunately, I couldn't get anything older than the 2018 vintage – not a spring chicken, but also not old enough to truly test whether the winery can keep its promise of longevity. On the nose, the wine shows beautiful Cabernet Franc characteristics. Very elegant. Not quite Pomerol, more a Loire Valley wine. The alcohol of 13% sits right at the border between those two stylistic regions – herbal but not spicy. On the palate, the tannins are surprisingly tame. Will this mature for ten more years? Sure. But does it have the potential to peak around, say, 2040? I doubt it. The wine is refreshing, with acidity supporting the experience, but there is a lack of extract that makes me hesitant to make bold predictions. And the aftertaste is definitely not endless. Earthy notes are simply lacking at the moment to make this sufficiently complex and exciting. That said, it has aged slowly so far – could have been a 2020. If you like a heavy bottle and a long cork and you enjoy storing wines for around ten years, then this is the perfect wine for you. At 92+ points, it will probably get to 94 points eventually, but perhaps I am too skeptical about its ultimate ceiling.