2006 Gaia Agiorgitiko Péloponnèse Nótios

The first time I ever tasted a Greek wine could easily have been my last. It was sour and doggy and so astringent I felt like someone had attached a vacuum hose to my mouth and sucked out all the moisture. But, being either stubborn or foolish (it's so hard to tell sometimes), a few months ago I tried again with a Mercouri Pisatis Folói (a white wine made from the roditis grape) from the Péloponnèse region - delicious. The Greeks had redeemed themselves oenologically in my eyes (or, rather, my mouth).

So tonight I'm tasting a 2006 Gaia Agiorgitiko Péloponnèse Nótios. (Agiorgitiko is a common red grape grown in Greece, named in reference to St. George, I believe.) The nose of the Gaia is uncharacteristic for an agiorgitiko; instead of the classic plum and spice, I get an earthy, mushroomy aroma, reminiscent of a damp forest floor, and not much fruit at all - perhaps a hint of fresh cherry.

Also unusual for an agiorgitiko is the relatively high level of acid in this wine. It's a heat-resistant grape that thrives in higher tempratures than many grapes can stand, sometimes at the expense of the resultant wine's structure. The acid seems in proportion to the alcohol, making me think the wine may have been acidified during vinification. Another indication of this is that the acid does not seem fully integrated into the wine - sort of like how a sheer bandage doesn't really look like skin. There is a slight, pleasant astringency, but overall it's a simple, light-medium body wine with plenty of structure but a lack of fruit. In fact the flavor is fairly weak overall, with a hint of something stinky - almost garlicky - lingering in the backrgound.

It's not a horrible wine, but it's not noteworthy, either. I'll have a hard time recalling this one from the depths of my taste memory if I spot it in a store sometime, and I don't expect it will improve or evolve much with age. Don't go out of your way, but if you happen to have some, drink it with something hearty like a beef stew or cheese fondue to give it a little more heft. I'd give it an 80.