30 July 2017
Intense nose of spices, pleasant bitterness in the mouth and a good aftertaste. The oak is well integrated and the tannins are already fairly smooth.
A wine made with 100% Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia grapes, also used to produce a well-regarded sweet wine. This dry version is overall a well-balanced and very pleasant wine, and at 13 EUR (on the island of Cephalonia) is a bargain.
Beside the fact that I drank this wine the last day of my Greek holidays, while waiting to fly out of Ulysses’ island, the main reason I decided to write a third post in a row on a Greek wine, is to point out how there still exists very passionate Winemakers, who focus way more on making an outstanding wine than on selling a mediocre one.
This is certainly the case of Sclavos, who organically cultivate his own grapes, according to biodynamic principles. Subsequently he makes the wine with as little intervention as possible, starting from a spontaneous yeast fermentation and restricting the use of sulfites.
The downside on the whites, seems to be a slight, but not disturbing, oxidation after a couple of years. This was the case with the Robola of Cephalonia that I tasted while visiting. Definitely a minor price to pay for the absence of chemicals, the richness of the wine overall and the values of the man producing it.
Country: Greece
Region: Cephalonia
Grapes: Mavrodaphne
Type: Red
Vintage: 2015
Producer: Sklavos-Zisimatos
Price range: Economic (<15 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5