Domaine Hatzimichalis from Greece

Basket-trained Assyrtico vines on Santorin

The following wines were provided for our drinking pleasure...

2015 ASSYRTIKO DOMAINE HATZIMICHALIS

Assyrtiko [ A seer' tee ko ] Assyrtiko is one of Greece’s finest multi-purpose white grape varieties. It was first cultivated on the island of Santorini, where it has developed a unique character producing excellent wines. Assyrtiko has the ability to maintain its acidity as it ripens. It's typically a very dry wine that has citrus aromas mixed with a mineral aftertaste. It is naturally resistant to most diseases which is another reason why it has become a popular grape, re-planted throughout Greece.

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This Assyrtiko is from the selected vineyard "Alepotrypa", located around the Domaine Hatzimichalis winery, in the heart of Kalliaro Field, Atalantι Valley. The Greek, multipurpose variety Assyrtiko reveals an extremely complex and attractive character. The valley of Atalanti in Central Greece is surrounded by Mt. Knimida to the north, Mt. Chlomo to the south, Mt. Parnassus to the west and the northern Eubean Gulf to the east. The main natural trait of this ecosystem and its uniqueness is the cool breezes that flow from Mt Parnassus to the sea and vice-versa. It is in
the selected vineyard "Alepotrypa" in the heart of Kalliaro Field in Atalanti Valley, where this Greek Assyrtiko found ideal soil to develop its distinctive personality.

So lets taste this Greek white wine and see what we think...

On the nose - Aromas of citrus and ripe yellow fruit frame a subtle minerality.
On the palate - In the mouth that citrus promise is fulfilled and with lovely stone fruit flavors being noted it balances perfectly with the nice balanced acidity leading to a long fruity finish and revitalizing freshness. Technically speaking it makes you go 'mmmmmm'.
This is an expressive Assyrtiko perfect to accompany summer dishes or the perfect wine to start those summer gatherings with. Great value and tasting wine, **** and 7 on the official Rating Scale.

Next up was the 2009 DOMAINE HATZIMICHALIS Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a bit of a surprise as we were expecting perhaps some other Greek wine. The Cab is a good value wine. From selected vineyards of the Hatzimichalis Estate private owned vineyard in Atalanti Valley, Central Greece. So lets get to the tasting and see what we think...

On the nose - between the four of us we collectively noticed aromas of dark fruits like blueberry, blackberry, plum and a hint of earth and tobacco.
On the palate - This wine would like to be decanted if opened within the next few years as the tightness took some coaxing to get to open up, but once it relaxed exposing a fairly well-structured wine with those dark fruits and earthy flavors just like the nose promised.  With its rich and complex flavors and persistent mouth-filling tannins holding on at the finish this is a wine that's wants to be paired with a meal of lamb, spare ribs or grilled steak. We paired the cab with a Greek style pizza and it worked nicely. They say it is best served at 61-64 °F. We agree! Again a great value at **** and a 6 on the Official Scale.



A couple of very nice, very affordable wines from DOMAINE HATZIMICHALIS. We look forward to tasting some of their other releases in the future.


Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout