Kir-Yianni, Cuvee Villages, Xinomavro, Naoussa, Greece 2018

“The 2018 Naoussa Cuvée Villages is all Xinomavro aged for 12 months in used French oak (with 25% American). It comes in at 13.3% alcohol. Beautifully wrought in its style, this is silky and fairly tannic. It shows off acidity and plenty of pop and power on the finish. In its youth, the fruit is still assertive, but this is mostly about the structure and the texture. There is also admirable mid-palate finesse. If you like them old school and a little rustic, this is for you, but there is enough fruit for balance, at least today. There are echoes of rustic Nebbiolo while there’s very little here that’s sweet and fleshy. It should age well, perhaps better than indicated.”-90WA, 2023-2038

Kir-Yianni was founded in 1997 by Yiannis Boutaris, one of the leading figures in the Greek wine industry, when he left the Boutari Wine Group, the premium family wine company that his grandfather established in 1879.

Today, Stellios Boutaris, member of the fifth generation of winemakers, leads Kir-Yianni into the next phase of its history, by dynamically exploiting the cornerstones of the Kir-Yianni philosophy: desire for innovation, respect for tradition and true knowledge of the wine, from the grape to the end consumer.

Naoussa, is a new wine from Kir-Yianni. Grapes are sourced from the Kir-Yianni Estate in Naoussa and selected vineyards of the appellation.