Vaeni Naoussa Xinomavro 2018

Situated in the hills of Macedonia in northern Greece, Naoussa became Greece's very first wine region to be given its own official appellation title (1971), and it served as a model for the Greek appellation system. Xinomavro is considered Greece’s finest varietal, and Naoussa’s Xinomavros are often considered to be Greece’s greatest red wines. Vaeni’s Xinomavro casts a transparent rusty garnet robe followed by delicious aromas of wild cherries, rose petals, leafy underbrush, and wood spice. Brisk yet generous on the attack (Xinomavro translates into English as “acid-black”) the wine conveys expressions of black raspberries, tar, savory herbs, and limestone soil vivified by a firm spine of fine tannins. The wine finishes long and clean with plentiful fine tannins enlivening the wine’s kernel of berry fruit. In fact, comparisons abound between this gorgeous Xinomavro and our favorite gems from the Alto Piemonte, so try this alongside Mazzani’s Nebbiolo from this newsletter. Enjoy now and over the coming seven years with Greek lamb recipes, grilled beef, zesty eggplant preparations, and hearty pastas.