As with my personal Greek red wine pick posted here last week, my choice for the Greek white wine of 2010 is guided by objective judgement and emotion. It comes from all the wines tasted, but necessarily released in 2010. In terms of objective judgement, there were a handful of wines that would all deserve to take the honours. Emotion was clearly the deciding factor for me.

Gaia Wines was established in 1994 and has become a true icon in two Greek wine regions, Nemea in the Peloponnese, and the island of Santorini. The Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2008 (13.5% alcohol) comes from grapes grown in the upland vineyards of Pyrgos, Santorini, from 80-year old ungrafted vines. According to the winemaker, the Assyrtiko grapes are more aromatic than from the other parts of the island. The juice remains in contact with the skins for 12 hours at around 10 degrees Celsius. Half of it is then transferred into small 1000 litres tanks, the other half into 80% new oak barrels. The temperature is then allowed to rise naturally, without any further involvement. Only the natural yeasts are used for the fermentation, which develops at a gradual pace. In every tank and every barrel something different will occur. It is a risky business, in the 08 vintage 3 out of 10 barrels were lost. After a 4-month maturation period, the wine from the barrels is blended with its unoaked partner.

The Gaia Wild Ferment 08 has a platinum colour. It exhibits very dense and rich aromas of citrus fruits, a clearly noticeable minerality, and pan-fried butter – a very impressive combination. The palate is full-bodied with a sublime acidity that adds to the structure. This wine shouts out for food, but is striking on its own. It is bone-dry, and truly expressive of its terroir. It is one of those marvellous gems that touch one deep down. I also enjoyed the 09 vintage in New York just a few days ago, the quality is at least as good as the 08. Also, the 2010 vintage has been released by Gaia today.

I love that some wine estates never rest on their laurels, and are not afraid to experiment with new approaches. In some cases, this will inevitably lead to such stunning results as this one.

Last week I had the chance to attend a wine tasting featuring their wines. The event was hosted by the Winebank Pavlidis and took place in the south of Athens, by the sea. Thanks go out to Kostas Katsoulieris, who alerted me to attend the tasting. Kostas is an active commentator on this blog, and I was looking forward to finally meet him in real life.

I arrived a little late, as the traffic was really bad, but made it just in time for the first wine to be poured. The first thing that hit me was that the location was packed. I guess that at least 40 people were attending. The owner of Gaia Wines, Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, presented a superb range of his wines. He talked about every wine in great detail, covering the work in the vineyards and the winery, giving very useful information about the vines, soil structure, harvest time, etc.  This was no marketing talk; instead it was one of the most educational conversations I have ever encountered at a wine tasting. There were many questions from the crowd and a high level of engagement. I  reported last year that the wine culture in Greece is changing. By now it becomes more evident than ever that consumers are eager to educate themselves about fine wines, and I have little doubt that this will have a positive and lasting impact on the Greek wine industry.

Santorini wines tasted, all 100% Assyrtiko:

Thalassitis 2009: A great vintage for Santorini – lots of ripe Citrus aromas, this is a serious wine with a lovely kick from the acidity, bone dry with a salty and very long finish.

Wild Ferment 2008: Only the natural wild yeasts are used for the fermentation. Half the wine is matured for 4 months in 80% new oak barrels. Dense and rich aromas of citrus, minerals and pan-fried butter. Full bodied with great level of acidity, very round, its structure reminds me of a great Montrachet. Very long finish. AVIN3193961754611

Thalassitis 2008: Lots of mineral, lemon and butter aromas, full-bodied, extremely dry, this screams for food, one can nearly taste the salt from the sea, very long.

Nemea wines tasted, apart from Gaia S all 100% Agiorgitiko:

Agiorgitiko 2008: Aged in old barrels, the wine has intense cherry aromas, supple and elegant on the palate with soft tannins.

Gaia S 2007: A blend of 70% Agiorgitiko and 30% Syrah, it shows intense spicy cherry aromas, bundled with an earthy character. Meaty on the palate, elegant with a well integrated tannin structure and a very long finish.

Gaia Estate 2006: Aged for 14 months in 60% new barrels. Nose of ripe black cherries and dark chocolate, powerful palate, concentrated dark fruit, smooth and balanced, finishes long.

Gaia Estate 2004: More spicy than the 2006 vintage, morello cherries, vanilla and roasted almonds, very powerful on the palate, tannins are quite evident, no shortage of acidity, full with a very long finish.

Gaia Estate 2000: Some maturity on rim, aromas of cherry jam, tea and roasted almonds. On the palate it is very feminine and soft in style, yet full of life. The tannins are soft and fully integrated, the finish silky. Perfect to drink now, a great example that well made Agiorgitiko has ageing potential.

Anatolikos 2001: A sweet wine from sun dried grapes, aged in 5-year old barrels. Nose of sweet cherries, prunes and honey, almost port-like. It is fairly full-bodied on the palate, yet elegant with an almost rich sweetness.

The icing of the cake for me came in the form of a Gaia Estate Magnum 2004, signed by Yiannis Paraskevopoulos. Every participant of the tasting event wrote his or her name on a piece of paper and a random winner was picked. The stars must have aligned for me that evening, as my name was pulled out. This treasure now has a special place in my wine cellar.