Magoutes Vieilles Vignes Blanc, 2022

A Greek White that Offers a Superb Alternative for Lovers of Chablis

"The Magoutes Vineyard “Vieilles Vignes” white is made from 100% Xinomavro, grown on limestone and clay soils. While a still blanc de noir is hardly the norm in the wine world, on my trip to Greece I tasted a handful of examples. This one absolutely blew my mind. It was simply one of the best wines I tasted, white or red, in the entire two weeks that I was visiting. It reminds me in some ways of a young, extremely pure version of Chablis. There is plenty of citrus and even stone fruit notes, all brought together by a distinct mineral core. The wine is incredibly lean and taut now, and with extended bottle age this will continue to blossom. For now, have it with sashimi or oysters, and please stock up on more to drink over the next several years. Truly a world-class wine!"-Craig Perman

• Low intervention
• Organically farmed
• Vegan

Cellaring: Drinks very well now, but can be kept several years. 

Food Pairing: Pan fried hake, crab salad, goats cheese tartlet

STORY BEHIND THIS WINE

The wine region of Siatista has a long winegrowing history, dating at least back to 1670. The foundation of the Diamantis Winery began at the start of the 20th century, when Dimitrios Diamantis’s grandfather hand-grafted the domaine’s first vineyard on the family land. Sadly, by the 1970s, winemaking in the region was in decline and only a few of the old vines had survived. Fast forward to the 1990’s when enter Dimitrios Diamantis, , the third generation winemaker, and his business partner, George Papageorgiou, began an energetic drive to protect and bring back those nearly-forgotten grapes, saving enough genetic material to replant 18 ha on the slopes of the Magoutes area. The Magoutes Vineyard (named for the magenta plant), is perched on rocky limestone soils at 750-890 m in elevation. The vineyard is farmed organically, assisted by the extreme climate, which minimizes environmental stresses from insects and diseases. Winemaking is low-intervention as well, with fermentations taking place spontaneously without further manipulation or additions.