Χinomavro vs Barolo & Barbaresco, The Masterclass in Athens

The selection of Xinomavro wines came from the three editions of the 50 Great Greek Wines. It offered participants a comprehensive view of the variety's evolution and capabilities, highlighting its consistent quality. The following pairs of wines were tasted blind:

Oenops Xinomavro 2022 (50 GGW | 2020), Macedonia, against Gaja Barbaresco 2020

This pair emphasised both the more youthful, immediate, primary expression of Xinómavro and the most elegant approach to Nebbiolo, with no discernible oak and a great aromatic and structural precision. Gaja showed that a lighter touch, with gentle extraction and no quest for superior concentration, can yield a wine of genuinely Burgundian finesse and a clear sense of place. Oenops Xinomavraw, on the other hand, showed a courageous embrace of a more natural winemaking approach that has so far eluded the more conservative producers of the Langhe. Overall, it is an exciting pair with Oenops Xinomavro, a blend of Naoussa and Amyndeon grapes, featuring a pure red fruit character and a complete absence of oak influence. It stood impressively alongside the ultra-elegant 2020 Gaja Barbaresco, which was almost ethereal in its youth.

Alpha Estate Ecosystem Xinomavro Reserve Vieilles Vignes Single Block "Barba Yannis 2020," Amyndeon (50 GGW | 2020, 50 GGW | 2022), against Paolo Scavino Barolo 2018

Here, most of the 50 participants believed that the Alpha wine was Barolo due to the perfect tannin management, which was evidence of the excellent work the estate has been doing with this variety over the years, as well as the vineyard's old age, which imparts a unique phenolic maturity and fruit depth. Wojciech noted that the room was split in half as to which wine was a Xinómavro, which in itself was a testimony to the quality of Alpha Estate. This wine also displayed a strong sense of place with its higher acidity and red fruit profile. Scavino’s blended Barolo of 2018 felt much riper and more muscular but was a relatively supple, approachable wine compared to other Barolos on this tasting.

Markovitis Naoussa 2019, Xinomavro (50 GGW | 2023), Macedonia, against Sandrone Le Vigne Barolo 2018

Another exciting pair was the the Sandrone Le Vigne 2018, showing this producer’s customary combination of emphatic tannins, generous oak, and somewhat evolutive style. Against this background, Markovitis was the finer, more elegant wine, seamlessly balanced with gentle tannins and succulent red fruits—a true winner in a fruitier, less evolved style than any Nebbiolo on this tasting.

Elio Altare Barolo 2019 against Diamantakos Naoussa En Magnum 2017 (50 GGW | 2022)

A magnum of Diamantakos showed an impressive concentration of fruit coupled with the vintage’s perfect ripeness. While the management of the tannin in Xinómavro wines often fell short of the polish and elegance of the Nebbiolo wines, this was a sound example of fine winemaking. The Altare has decades ahead of it, despite being the producer’s entry-level blended Barolo, perhaps benefitting from the cooler microclimate of less perfectly exposed vineyards typically used in this.

Luigi Baudana Serralunga Barolo 2019 against Kyr -Yianni Naoussa Ramnista 2019 (50 GGW | 2022 & 50 GGW | 2023)

That was the appropriate closure to an ambitious masterclass, with two magisterial wines showing outstanding personality. Sourced from lower-lying vineyards, the Ramnista showed a sturdy tannic structure and a high concentration of ripe, fleshy black fruits: Xinómavro at its driest, deepest, and darkest. The Vajra family’s Baudana bottlings have improved markedly over the last few years, now displaying the airy elegance and insistent but finely-grained tannins worthy of the Serralunga elite—and perhaps a beacon of stylistic uniqueness that can serve as a guide for Xinómavro producers, where styles were clearly more varied in this tasting than the more uniform Nebbiolo wines.

Wojciech summarised the conclusions, "The masterclass emphasised the obvious similarities between Nebbiolo and Xinómavro: wines often displaying a light ruby but prominent tannic structure, fresh acidity, a clear sense of place and ageing potential. There were also differences offering food for thought: for Xinómavro, the current trend is clearly for lighter wines, with softer extraction, often no oak at all, and "natural" winemaking. In Barolo and Barbaresco, the legislative framework requires wood ageing, resulting in more evolutive wines, while lighter styles are declassified into Langhe Nebbiolo. Thirdly, the general level of the Greek wines was very high, easily competing with blazoned Piedmont brands such as Gaja or Scavino, with the notable caveat of tannins management, where Italian wines still seemed to have an edge of experience and stylistic maturity."

Warm thanks to the wineries Oenops, Alpha Estate, Markovitis, Diamantakos, Kyr -Yianni, as well as the distribution companies Cordis Wines, Sommelier's Choice, Deals, Oenocosmos, and Mr. Vertigo for generously providing the bottles.