Passas Winery – Mavra Nera White 2020

Passas Winery is located slightly east of the well-known estates of the PGI Drama, in the Xanthi regional unit, a few kilometres short of the Drama boundary. Although situated outside a PGI, the winery clearly feels a kinship with PGI Drama, as the Mavra Nera 2020 demonstrates – a blend of Assyrtiko and Sauvignon Blanc that reveals particularly interesting facets when tasted side by side with the Thema white from Ktima Pavlidis.

The wine isn't as exotic in its fruit nor as expressive overall as the Pavlidis, but it's marked by lovely yellow fruit. On the palate, the Sauvignon Blanc makes itself known with green, racy notes that introduce a certain tension into the wine. What's interesting is that the Sauvignon Blanc grapes here appear to have been harvested riper, which makes for a welcome change compared to other examples of this blend combination. Structurally, the wine's appealing interplay stands out. Overall, though, it lacks a bit of extract – the wine is very fresh but not as round as the Ktima Pavlidis, which is also down to just 12.5% alcohol. In any case, a fascinating comparison that earns an excellent 89 points.