Monemvasios, Monemvasia Winery
REGION: Monemvasia, Greece
VARIETIES: Agiorgitiko, Mavroudi
ALCOHOL: 13%
VITICULTURE: Conventional
YEAR: 2014
INFO: You have to love handling wines from places like Greece, as the history of winemaking here stretches back such a long way: in this case, back to the Byzantine era. Indeed, Monemvasia-Malvasia was known as one of the best wines in the world from the 13th-17th centuries, and the grape Malvasia was named after the region and makes Malmsey Madeira. Today, the winery produces a range of wines, including this amazingly well-aged red. If you don't want to fork out for older Bordeaux, try this as a really good alternative.
Selected grapes were destemmed, crushed and inoculated with carefully selected yeasts. Co-fermentation took place of the two varieties in the same stainless steel tank. An extended maceration took place at 28°C, to extract colour and structure; and to allow the Agiorgitiko variety to express its opulent characteristics. Fermentation was followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine underwent four month’s maturation on the lees with bâtonnage, followed by racking and maturation in 225 litre oak barriques of which 25% were new and 75% were second use, for 12 months. This wine is only released after significant bottle ageing.
A wonderfully aromatic wine with red fruit aromas complemented complex notes of mocha, coffee, vanilla and nutty oak flavours. Round and balanced, with ripe tannins and a velvety texture that leads to a long finish.
VEGAN