oenopole’s Greek spring workshop (4/6)
Served with veal tartare studded with cranberries and made almost fiery by shallots.
Naoussa 2011, Jeunes Vignes de Xinomavro, Domaine Thymiopoulos ($17.50, 11607617)
100% biodynamically farmed Xinomavro from ten-year-old vines. Manually harvested. 80% destemmed, 20% whole cluster pressed. Very gentle pressing. Fermented with indigenous yeasts with no pump-overs. Macerated about one week, then aged nine months in stainless steel tanks. Bottled unfiltered. 13.5% ABV.
My affection for this wine is well documented (see here, here and here) and this encounter only confirmed the love. Cherry and fired minerals with sappy/stemmy, dried herb and licorice notes. Medium-bodied and fluid. Dry yet remarkably fresh. As minerally as fruity with a cranberry-like tang. So drinkable – there really is a Beaujolais cru-like quality to the wine. Joy. (Buy again? By the case.)
> A pitch-perfect pairing. The tartare’s mild meatiness backdropped the wine’s fruit, the respective mineralities echoed each other, the “cranberry” and cranberries sang a duet and the briny capers presented no issues thanks to the wine’s acidity, savour and low tannins. Genius.
Brett happens 
Would strongly recommend carafing before drinking. In a few experiences, the immediate bouquet after opening the bottle is dominated by an acrid smell of garbage or possibly rancid sardines. However, this completely dissipates after an hour in the carafe leaving the lovely wine described upon. Though, still not as rounded as a cru Beaujolais.
Thomas
May 31, 2013 at 12:43
Excellent advice, Thomas. My bottles have all been sweet from the get-go but, as the wine’s agent notes, it’s always a good idea to give natural and natural-tending wines a hour or so in a carafe, since they often seem to develop reductive aromas and need some air to right themselves.
carswell
May 31, 2013 at 12:53
[…] nine months in stainless steel tanks. Bottled unfiltered. 13.5% ABV. A bit stinky on opening, as sometimes happens with this wine. That quickly blew off, leaving a charming nose of slate, candied red berries and […]
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