Alpha Estate Single Vineyard Hedgehog Amyndeo Xinomavro

£21.99

£19.99

Per bottle – inc VAT

9 % off

Save on our 'beautifully fresh and scented' Alpha Estate Single Vineyard Hedgehog Amyndeo Xinomavro 2021 - just named Jancis Robinson's Wine of the Week

Here's what she said:

"If you want to know what pure, refreshing and yet ageworthy Xinomavro tastes like, try this widely available version from the high, windy plateau of Amyndeo in northern Greece, a region not far from the border with North Macedonia.

Alpha Estate has grown enormously since its first two experimental vintages in 2000 and 2001, thanks to the hard work and investment of Bordeaux- and Athens-trained winemaker Angelos Iatrides and fourth-generation vine-grower Makis Mavridis (along with considerable EU funding). They now have a greatly enlarged team – including next-generation Angeliki Iatridou and Emorfili Mavridou – and a bigger, state-of -the-art, gravity-fed winery.

The Hedgehog Xinomavro vines, which range from 6 to 37 years old, are the result of a mass selection of cuttings from five subzones in the Amyndeo appellation that were taken before any analytical work had been done on clonal selection. The grapes are destemmed, given a short pre-fermentation cold soak of around five days at c 12 °C (54 °F) to extract colour, fruit aromas and tannins that are not too astringent. The must is then fermented in stainless-steel tanks and aged in French oak for 12 months. The 225-litre barrels are 50% second-use oak and 50% new oak, some low-toasted but most of them ‘white toasted’ (ie steamed rather than toasted over a fire) – which is why the oak flavour is so unobtrusive in this wine. The wine is left on the lees during much of that maturation period to add roundness and texture and help balance the wine. The final alcohol is 13.91%.

These objective winemaking details fail to convey the joy of this wine, which is light ruby in colour, vibrant with sweet and sour cherry, plus a hint of tomato leaf, so typical of this variety. It’s pure and juicy but sufficiently structured by the tannins and the acidity to drink with food, beautifully fresh and scented. Above all, it seems so unforced yet not in the least dumbed down to make it more accessible – you can really see the character of this variety and taste the climate that seems to suit it perfectly. If you have never tried Xinomavro, this is a good place to start."

Alpha Estate Single Vineyard Hedgehog Amyndeo Xinomavro - Alpha Estate Single Vineyard Hedgehog Amyndeo Xinomavro is a wonderful example of Xinomavro with its complex bouquet of small berried red fruits, leather, pepper, clove and vanilla spice showing great typicity. Structured and beautifully balanced with rounded tannins and well-integrated oak, with a touch of quince on the finish.

Sold in single bottles

Type: Still Red Wine

Vintage: 2021

Alcohol: 14.5%

Bottle Size: 75cl

Country: Greece

Region: Naoussa

Grape: Xinomavro

Producer: Alpha Estate