Kir-Yianni Xinomavro Rosé 2024 (Greece) - Wine Review

Tonight's rosé wine review is an excellent, vegan-certified, dry rosé from Macedonia in northern Greece that made its debut at the LCBO earlier this month in the LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection on June 7th.

It is produced by Kir-Yianni, the renowned Greek winery based in Amyndeon in northern Greece. Kir-Yianni was established in 1997 by Yiannis Boutaris (1942-2024) of the renowned Boutaris wine family. Yiannis was one of the leading figures in the Greek wine industry right up until his passing last year.

Today, Kir-Yianni is led by Stellios Boutaris, son of Yiannis. Stellios is the fifth generation of the Boutaris family of winemakers and became Managing Director of Kir-Yianni in 1999. Mihalis Boutaris, brother of Stellios, joined Kir-Yianni a few years later upon completing his studies at UC Davis. The brothers undertook a project to take Kir-Yianni to the next level by re-planting their 28 hectares of vineyards, focusing on both Greek and international varieties, but most importantly, ensuring that each varietal was planted on the most appropriate vineyard parcel.

The philosophy at Kir-Yianni is based on ensuring a fine balance between the family's hundred-year-long tradition and the use of new and innovative winemaking techniques. To ensure typicity, ageing potential, and consistent wine quality from vintage to vintage, Kir-Yianni takes proper care in the vineyard with strict selection on the vine, while in the cellar they micro-vinify and blend meticulously. The goal is to produce appealing wines that reflect the potential of the Greek vineyard and its indigenous varieties, while also protecting the environment by using integrated farming principles.

At Kir-Yianni, sustainability is both a philosophy and a vital business decision, entailing dedication, realism, and systematic investment. They have a holistic commitment to responsible winemaking from vine to glass. Among their many initiatives, they protect biodiversity, flora, and fauna, invest in the eco-friendly operation of the winery, support local communities, and ensure their employees' feeling of safety, growth, and economic security. In 2022, Kir-Yianni started their journey to carbon neutrality, and within 18 months they had achieved their first two major goals. Kir-Yianni has also started their efforts towards joining the United Nations "Race to Zero" campaign.

This dry rosé from Greece is crafted with 100% Xinomavro that was grown in the viticultural zone of Macedonia in northern Greece, from 40–60 year-old vines. The grapes were carefully selected from chosen vineyards based on the soil, vine health, and capacity of the grapes to reach full maturity. The climate in the winegrowing region of Macedonia has excellent conditions for viticulture due to, among other things, the significant diurnal temperature ranges (the temperature difference between day and night), as well as diversity in morphology.

To craft this rosé, Kir-Yianni undertook a rigorous grape selection on the conveyor belt. After direct pressing the grapes, they were fermented in stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 17–19°C. After fermentation, the wine stayed in contact with its fine lees for 3 months, with occasional mild stirring (bâtonnage).

The growing season in Macedonia was one of the warmest years in recent memory. There was a slightly earlier bud break, along with drought conditions starting in April. There were a couple of incidents of hail in May, which, fortunately, did not cause serious harm. A windstorm was followed by three heatwaves from June to August. Cooler nights arrived in September, while harvest for Xinomavro started to take place at the beginning of the month - the earliest ever recorded for this variety. Overall, the vintage produced healthy grapes with good aromas and colour. Moreover, the conditions of the season favoured Xinomavro, which achieved great phenolic ripeness. From a very good vintage for Xinomavro, let's see how this 2024 rosé from northern Greece is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

KIR-YIANNI XINOMAVRO ROSÉ 2024 - Vegan, PGI Macedonia, Greece (#39595) (XD) - $19.95
Stelvin screw cap. Pours a pale copper colour. Fresh and fragrant, this has a lovely, attractive nose of medium-high intensity with aromas of red berry, strawberry, cherry, orange citrus, grapefruit, and floral, with touches of spice and mineral undertones. It has good weight on the medium+ to medium-full bodied, dry, and slightly spicy palate with delicious ripe grapefruit, citrusy, red berry, strawberry, and red cherry flavours flecked with minerality. It has fresh, crisp, and vibrant acidity, while the spicy citrus tones give way to leesy minerals on the long, savoury, and juicy finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90+ pts

Quite a few wines by Kir-Yianni are available at the LCBO, and can also be ordered through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.

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Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko 2024 (Greece) - Wine Review

After enjoying the excellent 2023 Kir-Yianni Le Nord Assyrtiko last year, tonight's white wine review is the latest vintage of this terrific, vegan wine that arrived at the LCBO as part of the feature story on Outdoor Dining in the May 24th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by the renowned Greek winery, Kir-Yianni. The winery was established in 1997 by Yiannis Boutaris (1942-2024) of the renowned Boutaris wine family. Yiannis was one of the leading figures in the Greek wine industry right up until his passing last year.

Even though John Boutaris, Yiannis' grandfather, established the family's successful wine business, Boutari Wine Group, in 1879, Yiannis wanted to set his own path and established a vineyard in 1970 in the eastern foothills of Mt. Vermion, near the town of Naoussa. This vineyard would go on to become Ktima Kir-Yianni. In 1986, Yiannis planted 20 hectares of white wine varieties in the highlands to the west of Mt. Vermion, in the area of Amyndeon. In 1996, Yiannis purchased an old winery in the village of Agios Panteleimon, within the area of Amyndeon. A year later this site would go on to become the newly-built Kir-Yianni winery in Amyndeon, and the first vintage was vinified at the new winery that same year.

Today, Kir-Yianni is led by Stellios Boutaris, son of Yiannis, and the fifth generation of the Boutaris family of winemakers. In 1999, Stellios became the managing director of Kir-Yianni, and he was joined soon thereafter by his brother, Mihalis, who returned from his studies at UC Davis. The Boutaris brothers re-planted their 28 hectares of vineyards, focusing on both Greek and international varieties, but most importantly, ensuring that each varietal was planted on the most appropriate vineyard parcel.

Kir-Yianni's philosophy is based on ensuring a fine balance between the family's hundred-year-long tradition and the use of new and innovative winemaking techniques. Their goal is to produce appealing wines that reflect the potential of the Greek vineyard and its indigenous varieties, while also protecting the environment by using integrated farming principles. Moreover, Kir-Yianni takes proper care in the vineyard with strict selection on the vine, while in the cellar they micro-vinify and meticulously blend to ensure typicity, ageing potential, and consistent wine quality from vintage to vintage.

This white wine is crafted with 100% Assyrtiko that was grown in the PGI Florina appellation in "The North" of Greece, hence the name. More specifically, only selected vine parcels within the village of Agios Panteleimonas in Florina, at the unique plateau of Amyndeon, were chosen to craft this wine. This unique plateau of Amyndeon is the cooler wine region of Greece and consists of an exceptional mixture of elements, or terroir. This area is situated at high-altitude, between 600–700 metres above sea level, and has poor sandy soils on a stunning terrain of raw mountainous beauty. The four neighbouring lakes moderate the temperatures all year round, and contribute to the continental-ish climate with cold, often snowy winters, and mild summers. The area also experiences notable diurnal temperature variation, and the beneficial trademark to the area, wind blowing from the north.

For this wine, Kir-Yianni selected mostly young vines averaging 10 years in order to express Assyrtiko's mountainous expression. To craft this Assyrtiko, the grapes were hand-harvested over a couple of weeks in the middle of September and rigorously selected on a conveyor belt. It was completely vinified in stainless steel tanks and stayed in contact with its fine lees for 4 months.

The 2024 vintage was the warmest year ever recorded in the region. This meant that consistent, systematic work in the vineyard, and vigilance in monitoring weather data helped determine the best time to harvest each variety. Weather conditions were closer to normal after summer, which was beneficial for Assyrtiko as it ripened in more ideal conditions, while maintaining its aromas and acidity. Let's see how this 2024 Assyrtiko from northern Greece is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

KIR-YIANNI THE NORTH ASSYRTIKO 2024 - Vegan, IGP Florina, Greece (#25707) (XD) - $19.95
Enclosed by Stelvin screw cap. Fresh and fragrant, the lovely, medium-high intensity nose has leesy, ripe lemon citrus, and white floral aromas accented with herbals, mineral, pear, and grapefruit with hints of spice. The dry, medium+ bodied palate is ripe and gently honeyed with spice, lemon citrus, grapefruit, pear, herbals, and leesy mineral flavours. It has crisp, fresh, and vibrant acidity, along with a slightly chalky mineral texture and spice notes on the mid-palate. Juicy and fresh with savoury, leesy minerals, and lemon citrus notes lingering on the very long, well-balanced finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91 pts

Other fine wines by Kir-Yianni are available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.

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Kir-Yianni Cuvée Villages Xinomavro 2021 (Greece) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is an excellent, vegan-certified Xinomavro that is featured as a Food & Drink Discovery and was part of the Women in Wine theme in last weekend's March 1st LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

Like the excellent 2023 Kir-Yianni Le Nord Assyrtiko I enjoyed last year, this red wine is produced by Kir-Yianni, a renowned Greek winery that was established in 1997 by the late Yiannis Boutaris (1942-2024). From the renowned Boutaris family, Yiannis was one of the leading figures in the Greek wine industry right up until his passing last year.

Yiannis left the family's wine business to chart his own path in the eastern foothills of Mt. Vermion, in Yianakohori, near the town of Naoussa, where he planted 40 hectares of Xinomavro vines in 1970. This vineyard would go on to become the Ktima Kir-Yianni. More vines would be planted in 1985, followed by the acquisition of an old winery in 1996 in the village of Agios Panteleimon. A year later, the old winery was completely rebuilt to become the new Ktima Kir-Yianni, with the first vintage entirely vinified at the new winery.

Today, Kir-Yianni is led by Yiannis' son, Stellios Boutaris, who is the fifth generation of the Boutaris family of winemakers. After becoming managing director of Kir-Yianni in 1999, Stellios was joined soon thereafter by his brother, Mihalis, who had returned from his studies at UC Davis. During this period, there was intense experimentation and research on the Xinomavro varietal. The results of these experiments were a new generation of Xinomavro wines borne in 2003, along with 28 hectares of vines that were re-planted mainly with Xinomavro and other Greek varieties between 2004 and 2006. In 2009, Kir-Yianni acquired another 10 hectares of vineyards to become one of Greece's largest vineyards.

The philosophy at Kir-Yianni is a fine balance between a hundred-year-long family tradition and the use of new and innovative winemaking techniques. The aim of Kir-Yianni is to produce appealing wines that reflect the potential of the Greek vineyard and its indigenous varieties. Activities in the vineyard and at the winery are based on the principles of integrated farming and protecting the environment. The core practices at Kir-Yianni include taking care of the vineyard, implementing strict selection policies on the vine and in the cellar, micro-vinification, and meticulously blending, thus endowing Kir-Yianni wines with typicity, ageing potential, and consistent quality from vintage to vintage. At Kir-Yianni, sustainability is both a philosophy and a vital business decision that entails dedication, realism, and systematic investment, and in 2023 they started their journey to carbon neutrality.

Margarita Koumpiou is the reason why this wine is part of the Women in Wine feature in this VINTAGES Release. Margarita holds an integrated master's degree in crop science, an honours M.A. in oenology, and a diploma in food and beverage quality management. At Kir-Yianni, Margarita is an oenologist and works closely with Stellios.

This red wine is crafted using 100% Xinomavro that was grown in various villages across PDO Naoussa. More specifically, it was crafted using a strict selection of estate-grown grapes from younger vines, as well as parcels from small vine growers. The villages of Naoussa offer an interesting diversity of terroir, including their hilly terrains, altitude, slope, soil structure, and orientation, conditions which provide an intriguing mixture of meso-climates. To vinify this wine, the grapes were immediately cooled upon hand-harvesting, then underwent a rigorous grape selection on a conveyor belt. The grapes were then cold soaked at low temperatures for 6 days, followed by fermentation in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of 20–23°C for 12 to 15 days. After undergoing malolactic fermentation, the wine was matured mainly in 225- and 500-litre French oak barrels for 12 months in a combination of new and 3rd to 5th use barrels. The first blend was made on the 6th month of maturation, while the final blend was completed just before bottling.

The 2021 growing season in Naoussa began with a typical winter, followed by a cool March that resulted in a longer time for budbreak to complete. Dry conditions with significant diurnal variation in April and May led to a slightly early flowering, while summer began with hail in June, which decreased yields in the affected areas. July and August were characterized by long heatwaves and dry conditions, which resulted in the rapid (and positive) development of veraison in early August. From September onwards, weather conditions were typical and back to ideal standards, which allowed for the full ripening of Xinomavro. To ensure optimum ripeness, the grapes were handpicked in stages from late-September to mid-October. From a different year with positive results and great uniformity, let's see how this 2021 Xinomavro from Greece is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

KIR-YIANNI CUVÉE VILLAGES XINOMAVRO 2021 - Vegan, PDO Naoussa, Greece (#14151) (XD) - $18.00
Fragrant, intense, and slightly perfumed nose of red and dark cherry, rose floral, and touches of orange peel layered over savoury earth, plus accents of oak spice and sun-dried tomato adding further intrigue and complexity. On the dry, medium-full bodied palate it has lovely ripe red & black cherry, blackberry, savoury earth, oak spice, sun-dried tomato, and rose floral flavours supported by juicy acidity and well-structured, medium-firm, and fairly grippy tannins that are youthful, yet approachable. Cherry, earthy, and floral notes with a slight tang and some minerality lingering on the very long finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91 pts

Several other fantastic wines by Kir-Yianni are available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.

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Kir-Yianni Le Nord Assyrtiko 2023 (Greece) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is an excellent, vegan-friendly Assyrtiko from Greece that officially arrives at the LCBO this weekend as The $18 Solution in the April 27th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Kir-Yianni, a winery that was founded in 1997 by Yiannis Boutaris, one of the leading figures in the Greek wine industry and from the renowned Boutaris wine family. Yiannis' grandfather, John Boutaris, established the Boutari Wine Group in 1879, but Yiannis left the family's wine business to set his own path.

The beginnings of Kir-Yianni are rooted in the eastern foothills of Mt. Vermion, in Yianakohori, near the town of Naoussa, where Yiannis Boutaris planted 40 hectares of Xinomavro vines in 1970. This vineyard would later become Ktima Kir-Yianni. In 1985, Yiannis planted 20 hectares of white varieties in the highlands to the west of Mt. Vermion, in the area of Amyndeon. Over the next five years, Yiannis planted Merlot and Syrah in selected vineyard parcels at Ktima Kir-Yianni, varieties which were perfectly suited to the area's mesoclimate.

In 1996, Yiannis purchased an old winery in the village of Agios Panteleimon. This building was nicknamed "Paranga", or Shack, and would go on to become the Kir-Yianni winery in Amyndeon - where this wine was crafted. In 1997, Kir-Yianni was officially founded with the first vintage that was entirely vinified at the newly built Ktima Kir-Yianni winery.

Today, Kir-Yianni is led by Stellios Boutaris, son of Yiannis, and the fifth generation of the Boutaris family of winemakers. Stellios became the managing director of Kir-Yianni in 1999, and was joined soon thereafter by his brother, Mihalis, who returned from his studies at UC Davis. During this period, there was intense experimentation and research on the Xinomavro varietal, with the new generation of Xinomavro wines borne in 2003 based on the results of these experiments. Between 2004 and 2006, 28 hectares of vineyards were re-planted with Xinomavro and other Greek and international varieties, with a focus on ensuring that each varietal is planted on the most appropriate vineyard parcel. With 10 more hectares of vineyards acquired in 2009, Kir-Yianni became one of Greece's largest vineyards.

The philosophy at Kir-Yianni is a fine balance between a hundred-year-long family tradition and the use of new and innovative winemaking techniques. The aim of Kir-Yianni is to produce appealing wines that reflect the potential of the Greek vineyard and its indigenous varieties. Activities in the vineyard and at the winery are based on the principles of integrated farming, with concern about protecting the environment. Kir-Yianni takes proper care in the vineyard, strict selection on the vine and in the cellar, micro-vinifies, and meticulously blends - core practices which endow Kir-Yianni wines with typicity, ageing potential, and consistent quality from vintage to vintage.

This 100% Assyrtiko was grown at an altitude of 700 metres within the Agios Panteleimon viticulture zone, in the Amyndeon appellation of Northwestern Greece. The vines are young, averaging only 8-10 years old, and are planted on poor sandy soil, which helps deliver wines of exquisite finesse and an intense aromatic character. The climate in this region is mildly continental with cold winters, warm summers, and is influenced by the four neighbouring lakes. To vinify this wine, the grapes were carefully destemmed and crushed, and maintained skin contact in order to maximize the extraction of aroma precursors. It was fermented at controlled temperatures in stainless steel tanks, and remained on its fine lees for an extended period of 4-5 months in order to gain more volume and complexity.

With the impact of climate change, the 2023 growing season began as a very dry and almost warm winter, without the usual snowfall, followed by a nice, cold spring. A very wet June presented challenges for grape health, but Kir Yianni did manage well due to extensive work in the vineyard. In July, there were heat waves which stressed the vines, but warm days and cool nights during harvest season helped save the vintage. Let's see how this 2023 Assyrtiko is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

KIR-YIANNI LE NORD ASSYRTIKO 2023 - Vegan, IGP Florina, Greece (#25707) (XD) - $18.00
Screw cap. Fragrant and intense, the medium-high intensity nose delivers elegant lemon citrus, floral, leesy-stony minerality, ripe pear, spice, and grapefruit aromas with some nuanced orchard fruit notes. It's medium-full bodied with impressive weight, concentration, and depth on the dry, structured palate. Lovely ripe lemon citrus, grapefruit, floral, leesy-stony minerality, pear, and white peach flavours are neatly balanced. It has crisp, clean, juicy, and structured acidity, along with some spice notes and a chalky mineral texture on the mid-palate. Oyster shell mineral flavours with touches of spice linger on the long, crisp, and well-balanced finish. Buy six and enjoy one each year to the end of the decade. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91+ pts

Other fine wines by Kir-Yianni are available at the LCBO, and through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.

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