Tour of Turkey & Greece
Restaurants in Turkey & Greece; on our ship touring the Greek Isles; at the Argyros Winery
Tasted Saturday, April 16, 2022 - Tuesday, May 10, 2022 by VlgJeff with 329 views
Introduction
During our 25-day tour of Turkey & Greece we drank numerous wines at restaurants, and on our ship as we cruised the Greek Isles - most often with dinner, occasionally with lunch. Some of these wines had labels that were completely in Greek, with no English (as they were not meant for export) meaning that we could not find the wine on CT, nor enter a TN. The TNs that are entered are all given one date (5/1) of occurrence as the tasting notes that we took did not include dates of consumption.
On Santorini, we attended a tasting of many of the wines of Estate Argyros, whose TNs are included in this story as well.
2019 Tsantali Rapsani 85 Points
Greece, Thessaly, Rapsani
(5/1/2022)
PnP, but opened a bit with some air. Red fruit on the nose. The medium minus palate showed the red fruits, some spice and earth. The acidity was more than needed to balance, and there were noticeable tannins and some oak on the light finish. Could benefit from another year in the cellar, or more air up front, but will never be really good.
From back label: "this wine is made by the co-vinification of 3 indigenous red grapes: Xinomavro, Krassato and Stavroto...".
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2020 Rouvalis Roditis Asprolithi 87 Points
Greece, Peloponnisos, Achaia
(5/1/2022)
Lemon citrus and minerality on the nose and on the medium to light palate along with lots of acidity which makes it work with seafood.
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2021 Kir-Yianni Paranga 88 Points
Greece, Macedonia
(5/1/2022)
Lemon, green apple, stone fruit, minerality and some salinity, in a medium to light wine with good acidity - for food. A blend of Roditis and Malagousia.
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2019 Kir-Yianni Paranga 89 Points
Greece, Macedonia
(5/1/2022)
PnP, but better after some slo-ox. A blend of Merlot (50%), Xinomavro (25%), and Syrah (25%). Red fruits and spice on the nose. These follow on to the medium bodied palate along with a touch of dark red fruits, an herbal note, good acidity and a touch of tannin on the finish.
Worked well with Moussaka and even better with grilled lamb.
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2021 Chateau Kaniaris Oneiropagida (dreamcatcher) 86 Points
Greece, Continental Greece, Attica, Gerania
(5/1/2022)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Assyrtiko where, to our disappointment, the Sauv. Blc was dominant. Aromas and flavors of lime, lemon, herbs, and minerality. Medium body with crisp acidity requiring some food.
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2019 Stavropoulos Arkaios
Greece, Peloponnisos, Olympia
(5/1/2022)
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Agiorgitiko. PnP. Red and dark red fruits, touch of spice, some tannins, in a medium to plus bodied wine. Needs a bit more cellar time or decant up front. Small tasting, will not rate.
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2019 Thymiopoulos Alta Naoussa 89 Points
Greece, Macedonia, Naoussa
(5/1/2022)
PnP. Red fruits and spice on the nose. The medium bodied palate showed red berries (straw-/cran-/rasp-) along with spice and touches of minerality and herb. The acidity was just a bit more than needed to balance and the tannins were evident on the finish. A couple more years in the cellar should blunt the tannins and allow the wine to integrate. Paired reasonably well with grilled pork.
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2019 Brintzikis Melios 89 Points
Greece, Peloponnisos, Olympia
(5/1/2022)
A blend of Merlot 80% and Mavrodaphne 20%. The medium bodied palate showed red and dark red fruits (cherry, plum and blackberry) along with spice, and some herb. The acidity was relatively balancing and there were tannins and oak notes on the finish. Has potential to age, which should soften the tannins and integrate the oak.
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2018 Tselepos Agiorgitiko Driopi Nemea 88 Points
Greece, Peloponnisos, Nemea
(5/1/2022)
PnP. Aromas of red fruit (esp. cherry) and spice. These follow on to the medium bodied palate along with some oak. The acidity is relatively balancing and there are some tannins on the finish.
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2021 Olympia Land Winery Ekecheiria 89 Points
Greece, Peloponnisos, Olympia
(5/1/2022)
PnP, chilled. A blend of Assyrtiko and Malagousia. Floral, citrus and a touch of herb on the nose. The medium bodied palate showed white fruits like green apple and pear, along with citrus. Crisp acidity made it very food friendly, especially with our pasta in a cream sauce.
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2018 Plantaže Vranac Pro Corde 87 Points
Montenegro, Podgorica, Lake Skadar Valley
(5/1/2022)
PnP, but definitely benefits from some air - to integrate the acidity and soften the tannins. Red fruits and dark berries, plus a touch of herbs on the nose. The medium bodied palate showed all of these along with some earth and some wood notes. The acidity outran the fruit initially, then became more balanced with air, which also softened the noticeable tannins a bit.
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2018 Tenuta Ca' Vescovo Friuli Aquileia Sauvignon 87 Points
Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli Aquileia
(5/1/2022)
PnP, chilled. Citrus, minerality and a touch of herbs on both the nose and the palate. More Sancerre than New Zealand. Crisp acidity makes for a good food wine.
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2020 Blato 1902 Korčulanka 86 Points
Croatia, Dalmatia, Srednja i južna Dalmacija, Korčula
(5/1/2022)
PnP, chilled. A dry white from Croatia made from 100% Cetinka varietal, which is unusual. A medium to minus bodied dry white with crisp acidity.
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2019 Gregoletto Manzoni Bianco Colli Trevigiani IGT 86 Points
Italy, Veneto, Colli Trevigiani IGT
(5/1/2022)
PnP, chilled, but improved with some air. A cross between Pinot Bianco & Riesling. Shows more of the Pinot Bianco characteristics. Medium to plus bodied palate with white fruit (pear) and a nutty character due to the lees aging. Has only moderate acidity and very little citrus.
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2020 Kavaklıdere Angora White 84 Points
Turkey, Ege Bölgesi
(5/1/2022)
PnP, chilled. Made from the Sultaniye (Sultana) varietal. AKA Thompson Seedless here in the U.S. Some yellow apple and pear on the medium bodied palate along with light citrus and a touch of minerality. Can understand why this varietal is used more for table and dried grapes than for wine.
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2018 Kavaklıdere Selection Bogazkere & Okuzgozu 89 Points
Turkey, Southeastern Anatolia
(5/1/2022)
PnP, but definitely benefits from some air. In fact, this wine may benefit from another year or two in the cellar. A blend of two native Turkish varietals: Bogazkere-which adds tannins and structure, and Okuzgozu-which adds bright red fruit and acidity. Here this combination works reasonably well and may remind one of a weaker version of Syrah.
The nose yields dried red fruits and a touch of earth. The medium to plus bodied palate shows more dark and red fruits like blackberry, dark cherry, and cranberry, along with touches of black pepper and oak. The acidity is reasonably balancing, but the tannins are initially obvious, then soften somewhat with air.
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2018 Kavaklıdere Syrah Pendore 90 Points
Turkey, Ege Bölgesi
(5/1/2022)
Allowed to slo-ox for 10 minutes but will benefit from more air up front and/or more time in the cellar. Dark and red fruits, some earth, and a touch of wood on the nose. The medium to plus bodied palate shows black, blue and red berries, earth, spice, and a touch of vanilla. The acidity is relatively balancing but the tannins are too obvious.
Two more years in the cellar or a long decant will definitely improve this wine.
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2019 Turasan Seneler Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Syrah
Turkey, Central Anatolia, Cappadocia
(5/1/2022)
PnP. The nose yielded some dark fruit, earth and an herbal note. These all followed on to the medium bodied palate along with strong oak notes and tannins.
Opening this bottle now was probably infanticide. Keep this bottle in the cellar for at least another year or two, then air it out before consuming. Will skip a rating on this one.
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