Thymiopoulos Earth & Sky Xinomavro 2023

Drink it now, or cellar for up to 15 years. No need to decant but it is recommended to open it half an hour before service. Apostolos Thymiopoulos is a talented Greek winemaker who has managed to make the indigenous grape Xinomavro one of the most prestigious, delicious, and exotic wines that can be found in the most important international wine lists. It is no coincidence that most of his production is exported abroad, where his winery is recognized as one of the most interesting in all of Greece. His biggest hit is, without a shadow of a doubt, the red Earth and Sky. The wine is produced with 100% Xinomavro vine from fifty-year-old plants, on soils of calcareous marl, schist, granite, and clay, in three plots located in the south of the Naoussa region. The wine is aged in vats and barriques for 18 months and then bottled without filtration. The Earth & Sky wine has a very complex nose with notes of undergrowth (flowers, truffles) and small fresh red fruits (wild strawberries, pomegranate, dogwood, black currant). In the mouth, it is surprisingly harmonious, with excellent acidity, good mineral freshness, and all the delicacy of red fruit. It shows great aging potential, but can already be enjoyed in combination with a beef bourguignon.

Price: £18.70 from 8wines UK