After a long hiatus, I have decided to give this another go. Starting with a budget wine review may make more sense now than ever with the economy continuing its struggle and most of us in need of a bit of a diversion. I recently travelled to Chile and will offer some reviews of the wines tasted in Apalta in the near future, but for now, I'll taste a wine from one of my favorite places on earth. Greece.
This week's selection is Vaeni Naoussa 2004 from the eponymous region of Macedonia. Greece that is. Naoussa is a demarcated OPAP region, and Xinomavro is the only varietal permitted to be grown there. Most Greeks and many other fans believe Xinomavro to be a noble variety. I tend to agree. Then again, I tend to favor the oddball varietals at times.
In the glass the Naoussa shows a transluscent ruby red with some copper tones. It looks as though it will be a light wine, but that would be surprising for this varietal. The wine has the look of a Pinot Noir. Surprisingly, there is a bit of sentiment in the glass, but to me that is sometimes a bonus. The UC Davis scale would disagree, but to me a wine that is not overly filtered can have tremendous character. On the nose is the sweet aroma of candied cherries, dried thyme, and cut violets. The nose is light but distinct. In the mouth, the delight of Maraschino cherries, milk chocolate, and a bit of pot roast. Sounds like a Sunday afternoon at Grammy's to me. This is a well balanced wine with a medium body and crisp acidity. The tannins are soft and rounded indicating that this wine is ready now. The finish is long, and I was still getting the milk chocolate notes a good 45 seconds after the taste. With the acidity and medium body, this wine will pair well with Mousakka, Keftedakia, or anything with red sauce such as pasta or pizza. I would rate this at 16/20, and it is well worth the $10 price! In fact, I'm sorry I only have two bottles :(
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