Great Greeks – Meet Mavrodaphne. Meet Cephalonia.

On May 9, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Although it was almost fourteen years ago, I still remember Cephalonia. I was touring the Ionian Islands and had just arrived from Homer’s Ithaca, entering the harbor of Fiscardo, on the northern side of Cephalonia. Bougainvillea’s everywhere, lovely restaurants in the little harbor, friendly people as always in Greece – and characteristic village houses. I remember the surroundings, the beautiful deep clear blue water and jumping in from the cliffs.

A lot of traveling the last decade has been to places where my wine passion also have been pleased. Thus, it is about time to revisit Cephalonia!

Marianna Cosmetatos and Petros Markantonatos (Gentilini), together with their winemaker Mike Jones, deserves some accolade. They have put the island of Cephalonia on the wine map with indigenous grapes such as Mavrodaphne and Robola. I mean, how many would think of Mavrodaphne being able to produce high quality table wines? Or perhaps better, how many have heard of Mavrodaphne?

The generation before me probably recalls Mavrodaphne of Patras, as sweet red wine. Well forget all about that and think more in terms of Rhone and Syrah, because the 2009 Eclipse from Gentilini is a bottle you need to taste. The Mavrodaphne grapes are cultivated at quite high altitude and comes from a single vineyard. Although this is Greece, no irrigation is used. The soil are rich in clay and the yields kept really low.

Sadly, there’s only 2,000 bottles of the 2009 Eclipse. Harvested in the end of August the wine has been maturing a year in French barriques. Just like a Syrah, it seems Mavrodaphne chews oak for breakfast and it is first long after decanting the toasted scents are starting to show up. Then, a year in bottle after the oak before release.

Served blind and decanted well ahead. Dark young color. Iron scents. Lots of it. Lavender, cinnamon, pepper, smoke and some leather. Dark cherries, Victoria plums and some dried flower scents. Just a touch of toasted oak. After a while it starts oozing of humus. Wow, what a personality. This is terroir in a glass!

Steely minerality from Cephalonia! What cool taste. High acidity, plenty of tannins and beautiful phenolic ripe fruit. Dark cherries, plum skin, tobacco, humus and iron. Spices (cinnamon, clove and pepper), smoked meat and herbaceous honey. Still, dry. Intense, yet refined long taste. Still too young but already delicious indicating this is at least an outstanding wine. What really impresses is that the alcohol is only 13 per cent. One might have thought it easily would carry away at a place like this. Then again, high altitude is the thing…

So, buy a few of this wine, pop one directly to learn some new terroir and keep the rest for at least five years. The wine map is expanding but what about our minds? Are they just as open minded and on the constant search for a good wine, no matter from where it originates?

2009 Eclipse, Gentilini, Cephalonia, 90-91 p

PS. You can follow Gentilini and their projects on Facebook. Have a look at the great photographs from the island vineyards.

PS.2. Markus Stolz offer the 2009 at EUR 17,95.

PS.3. Wine is all about the joy it gives you when tasting. The Eclipse was such a new experience for me that I almost feel conservative in my rating. I have to try more Greek wines simply….