Visiting Gaia wines in Greece, who make interesting wines in both Nemea and Santorini
Website: https://gaiawines.gr/en/ktima-gaias-en/
Gaia Estate is one of Greece’s leading wineries. They are based in two places: Nemea, in the Peloponnese, and the island of Santorini. We visited with co-owner Yiannis Paraskevopoulos (pictured above) at the winery in Koutsi in Nemea, which is where their vineyard is located. It’s at altitude, which gives a more moderate climate.
In Santorini, they grow Assyrtiko on volcanic soil with zero clay. ‘You can’t build water reserves there, leading to low yield,’ says Giannis. ‘It also means zero phylloxera, so ungrafted vines.’ The age of the vines here is a speculation because of the way they are renewed above ground from time to time. The vines are trained in a braided basket shape configuration. By counting the rings (new one added every year) you can date the vine. Every year the grower assesses the yield of each vine, and when one is lagging, they decapitate the vine, but leave the same root, which generates a new plant. This happens every 80-100 years. This means the roots are very old – perhaps four of five centuries older, or even older than this. The vines existed on Santorini since 1500 BCE, which makes these among the oldest in the world. Rainfall is sparse and the soil can’t retain it easily.
The pH is usually 2.85, even with 14% alcohol, because of low potassium in the soils. It’s also a very phenolic variety. They have measured sodium contact and compared with Nemea: there’s 400 times more sodium in the Santorini Assyrtiko which comes from the sea spray.
THE WINES
Gaia Thalassitis 2021 Santorini
Stainless steel, 6 months on lees. Fresh and direct with lovely citrus fruit drive and some salty mineral notes. There’s a slight pithiness here. The acidity is nicely integrated and there’s a fine spicy finish. 91/100
Gaia Thalassitis Cellar Aged 2015 Santorini
Yellow colour. Preserved with higher sulfites. Aromatic nose with herbs, nuts and some wax as well as some citrus. There’s a lively, powerful palate here with some structure. Waxy, lively, keen citrus with some savoury intensity. Really high acidity and lovely complexity from the development: has a bright future ahead of it. Very expressive. 93/100
Gaia Submerged 2018 Santorini
This is four years under the sea. 476 bottles made. Has some colour. Complex nose of toast, nuts and a bit of matchstick reduction. Powerful and citrussy with spice and minerals, some subtle toast, and lime. Really intense and vivid, with this spicy reduction adding an extra dimension. 93/100
Gaia Amonite 2021 Santorini
15 months on lees, 10% in barrel. Ammonite is the emblem of the company. Lively, expressive and saline with precise citrus fruit. Some lime, a hint of mandarin, and crisp crystalline lemon fruit. So expressive and fine with a sense of elegance. 94/100
Gaia Born to Be Wild 2021 Santorini
45% stainless steel, 45% wood, 10% clay, wild ferment. Powerful, intense and lively with high acidity, showing layers of salty lime and pear fruit. There’s nice depth and intensity here with compact crystalline citrus on the finish. Very lively and intense with concentrated flavours. 94/100
Gaia Nychteri 2020 Santorini
50% skin contact for 12 hours, then barrel-fermented in 80% new oak. Concentrated and intense with bold, slightly pithy citrus fruit, as well as some pear and apple. Intense and vivid with a salty, mineral edge with nice acidity. Zippy acidity here as well as plenty of flavour. 93/100
Gaia Assyrtiko Clay 2018 Santorini
Four years in the clayvers, 7-8 days. Golden colour. This is powerful and expressive with a bit of tannin and notes of tea and orange peel. Grippy and also a bit spicy. Beautiful acidity and crystalline citrus fruit with fine salty, mineral notes. So distinctive. 94/100
Gaia 4-6H Agiorgitiko 2022 Peloponnese
12.5% acohol. 4-6 hours skin contact. 1000 m. Lively and bright with nice acidity. Fresh and sappy with juicy cranberry and citrus fruit with a tapering, finely spiced finish. 90/100
Gaia Monograph 2022 Peloponnese
100% Agiogorgitico, stainless steel, co-inoculation. Beautiful and expressive with pretty red cherry and berry fruit, showing a little tannin and a nice fruity mid-palate. Lovely fruit here: so crisp and fruity with nice a sweet profile. 89/100
Agiorgitiko by Gaia 2021 Nemea
Bought-in grapes. This is designed to be a benchmark Nemea. Juicy, bright, supple and vivid with good acidity and a bit of tannic grip. Has some brightness and nice juiciness. Pure with good grip: a lovely wine of real focus and purity. Sappy with a stony, grippy finish. 92/100
Gaia S 2020 Peloponnese
70% Agiorgitiko, 30% Syrah, estate grown, 14 months in barrel. A super-Nemea! The Syrah is matured in American oak. Beautiful aromatics here: some peppery Syrah character with sweet, pure black cherry and blackberry fruit. Concentrated, bold and intense with fresh black cherry fruit, hints of tar and pepper, and nice fruit purity, and some nice tannins. 94/100
Gaia Estate 2020 Nemea
40 year old single vineyard near the winery, 14 months in cask, 6 months in foudre. Lovely blackcurrant and cherry fruit with a bit of spice, as well as some fine balsamic hints. The palate is intense as structured, with good acidity and bright blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Lovely freshness here as well as structure. There’s a lot of intensity here. It’s a very serious wine. 95/100
[An unnamed sample]
This will be a new label: it’s a 2021 from a cask (new oak), and it’s a new clone of Agiorgitiko. There are five clones available, and this is virus free. VNB01. Pure, ripe, intense with some oak evident, showing great depth and density of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Structured, broad and with a lot of fruit. ‘This is a Greek red of the new era and I’m so proud,’ says Giannis.
Gaia Estate 2007 Nemea
Deeply coloured. ‘Back then our skills weren’t as tuned as they are today,’ says Giannis. Aromatic and finely spiced on the nose with some earthy hints, a slight baked plum character, and some mint. The palate shows vivid earthy blackcurrant and blackberry fruit with a bit of life to it, and a savoury, earthy spicy character on the finish. 92/100
Vertzami 2021 (barrel sample)
A rare variety from the west coast of the Peloponnese, and Giannis thinks it could be the future of the Peloponnese. They have just 0.5 hectares, but are planting more. This is powerful, vivid and concentrated with high acidity, high tannin, and intense black cherry and blackberry fruit with some fine green hints. Such an impactful wine. He thinks this is the future blended with the new clone of Agiorgitiko. ‘It has what Agiorgitiko doesn’t have.’
The blend, made today: 64 Agirogitiko, 36 Vertzami. 2021. This is a new wine that won’t be in the market for a while. Concentrated, vivid and bold with vivid black cherry and blackberry fruit, with lots of acidity and tannin as well as lovely intense fruit. Such a wall of a wine, but showing freshness and purity, and this won’t be ready for a very long time. Massive potential. This is a remarkable wine. 95-97/100
Gaia Wines Ritinitis Nobilis 2022
Powerfully aromatic with pine, citrus and orange peel on the nose. In the mouth it is fresh and fruity with citrus and pear as well as some mint and citrus pith, as well as some marmalade and pine character. Really distinctive: a modern, powerful, lively fruity wine with this lovely bitter twist. 89/100
