Oinotropai Winery – Roes Chardonnay 2019

The ROES Chardonnay 2019 from Oinotropai Winery in the PGI Messenia is yet another testament to how deliberately small Greek wineries are handling oak these days. The wine spent only four months partly in American oak and retails in Greece for under €15. Compared to the 2018 vintage, the 2019 actually has a slight edge in terms of aromatics, distinguished by expressive exotic fruit. At the same time, though, it's the somewhat harsher wine – the 2018 ingratiates itself more gently on the palate and impresses with its subtle yet lingering finish of coconut and caramel, which is why it deserves one point more. The 2019 remains an outstanding Chardonnay nonetheless: 92 points.