Kir-Yianni Xinomavro Ramnista Vineyard 2018
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Robert
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An aromatic complex wine which combines powerfully fresh red fruits and notes of rose, make up the new vintage of 2018 Ramnista. On the palate, gentle tannins and round mouth feel, with distinctive sense of the oak barrel. The unexpected full body and robust acidity showcase a great wine with aging potential up to 15 years
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Ramnista, all Xinomavro, was aged for 16 months in 30% new 5,000-liter French casks (but for a 5% dollop of American wood). It comes in at 15.1% alcohol. This is a deep, ripe and relatively rich Ramnista, but underneath, it is still Ramnista. There is some power and some grip on the finish. The fruit shows some character too, not just ripeness. Still, if you like the fresher more focused styles, this is a wine that leans more to its fruit. Even so, it is beautifully textured and lingers nicely on the finish. The baked cherries are still very tasty. It seems full-bodied and able to hold up to stronger foods this year. Overall, I wound up liking this a lot, but the ultimate test of this wine is going to be how it acquires complexity as it ages. Xinomavro holds well, and this should do some 20 years from the vintage date, but how gracefully it ages will be the better question. For now, it can be drunk even today. That won't be the best this wine has to offer you, though. A little patience will serve you and it well over the next few years.
Rating: 90+
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Native to Greece, Xinomavro is widely regarded the finest red wine of the country. Its name literally means “acid black”, and attains fullest potential in the country’s northwest region of Naoussa. These single varietal bottlings of Xinomavro (blending is not allowed here) are often compared to the fine Barolos of Italy for their structure, finesse and age-worthiness. While its vines are fickle and blue-black grapes grow in tight clusters, similar to Nebbiolo, Xinomavro actually appears unrelated. Somm Secret—The use of French oak can help tame Xinomavro but too much can overwhelm it. Some eschew oak entirely during winemaking; other producers use locally-grown walnut.
Naoussa is home to one of Greece’s most age-worthy reds: Xinomavro. Flourishing on the sun-exposed, southeastern-facing slopes of Mount Vermio between 700 to 1,700 feet in elevation, some say Xinomavro is Greece's red counterpart to its famous white, Assyrtiko. Others liken it to Italy's well-respected, highly perfumed and powerful, Nebbiolo.