Wine Art Techni Alipias Red Blend 2019 (Greece) - Wine Review

After enjoying the delicious 2018 Wine Art Techni Alipias Red Blend at a wine dinner last October, tonight's red wine review is the latest vintage to come to Ontario as it arrived at the LCBO today in the November 18th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Wine Art Estate, a project of passion and love for wine that began in 1993 when Yiannis Papadopoulos planted a small family vineyard on the outskirts of Drama, in the northeastern end of Macedonia in northern Greece. Wine Art Estate is located in the heart of the Drama wine region that is made up of quiet valleys, exceptional micro-climates, and rich soil that shapes the character of the wines. Yiannis was inspired by the love for the vine, the beautiful landscape, and blessed with a unique terroir that delivers wines of great elegance.

The vineyards at Wine Art Estate are planted on carefully chosen slopes situated between two parallel mountains - Mount Falakro and Mount Menikion - which create a unique winegrowing environment that offers amazing potential for the production of distinctive, high-quality, aromatic, flavourful, and balanced wines. The soil is mainly sandy-clay over limestone layers, and highly suitable for the cultivation of Greek and international varieties. Of particular interest are the blocks in the Kali Vrisi area, a location that has been known since ancient times for the cultivation of vines and production of wines, as indicated at the ruins of the Sanctuary of Dionysus. Kali Vrisi was chosen for its rich soil and is known as a premium wine growing area.

Wine Art Estate has planted many grape varieties among its vineyards, ranging from Greek varieties, French varieties, Italian varieties, and even the Portuguese variety Touriga Nacional. All of the vines are carefully tended to so that top quality fruit can be obtained. The ultimate goal is to produce wines that are firmly rooted with a distinct sense of place, while also characterized by freshness, finesse, and elegance.

Like the previous vintage, this red wine is also a blend composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Agiorgitiko. The grapes were grown in vineyards that are under conversion to organic viticulture in the Drama wine region, in the villages of Mikrochori and Kali Vrisi, areas that are near each other. The soil in these vineyards is sandy-clay over limestone layers in Kali Vrisi, and sandy-clay in Mikrochori. The vineyards have a continental climate with intense diurnal temperature shifts between day and night, along with cool, northern winds during summer. To craft this wine, each variety was vinified separately, with the grapes undergoing a cold soak of the skins to the juice prior to fermentation, thus transferring noble phenols and structure. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks, with regular pump-over to extract colour and tannin. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was transferred to French oak barrels (1/3 new), and was matured in these barrels for 12 months. After maturation, the wine is blended, then placed in tanks for settling, and finally bottled.

The 2019 growing season in Drama is showing to be an excellent year for red wines. It began with mild temperatures and little rain, while temperatures remained low during the winter months. Temperatures were slightly higher in spring, which led to quality fruit, while almost daily rains from June to mid-July led to a late harvest. The growing conditions allowed for good organoleptic characteristics of the grapes, including good acidity levels due to increased humidity. Let's see how this 2019 red wine from Greece is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

WINE ART TECHNI ALIPIAS RED BLEND 2019 - IGP Drama, Greece (#26944) (XD) - $29.95
This blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Agiorgitiko has a fragrant, perfumed, medium-high intensity nose that offers attractive black cherry and dark plum aromas flecked with dark red cherry, olive, currant, cedary oak, and wet earth notes that add interest and complexity. It's medium bodied and dry on the palate with lovely dark currant, black cherry, plum, elegant cedary oak spice, with a touch of pleasant medicinal and eucalypt characters. Acids are fresh and nicely balanced, while the elegant tannins are smooth, supple, and fine-grained. Savoury wet earth and woody notes linger on the long, juicy finish. Enjoy this highly recommended buy over the next 3-4 years. Score: 90 pts

Other lovely wines by Wine Art Estate can be found not only at the LCBO, but also through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.