The wines of Evarhis Estate, Gerania, Greece

Evarhis Estate, located 64 km west of Athens, has an impressive 22 ha of vines, a mix of local varietis such as Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko and imports like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Merlot. I’d not heard of them before I was sent these four samples by Nick Kontarines of The Greek Wine Experience, and to be honest I wasn’t expecting a great deal. But they really are very impressive modern-styled wines. I was particularly taken by the whites, which were both lovely. Unfortunately, the Estate red is just a little too oak dominated, otherwise it would have scored more highly. Two minor criticisms. First there is no vintage date on the two Vins de Table, which is a shame, although I suspect it might be due to the Greek wine rules for Vin de Table. Second, the packaging could do with improving for the competitive UK market. It looks very ‘Greek’. This is not to take away from the impressive quality of the wines.

For further details on the availability of these wines contact Nick (kontarines@btinternet.com, phone 01684 566323)

Ilarós White, Evarhis Estate, Vin de Table, Megara Attikis, Greece
Modern aromatic nose with a lemony twist and a herby edge to the fruit. Palate is clean, fresh and lemony: this is a very attractive dry white wine with a lovely fresh character. Very nice stuff. Very good+

Ilarós Red, Evarhis Estate, Vin de Table, Megara Attikis, Greece
A blend of Agiorgitiko and Grenache. Sweet cherry and berry fruit on the nose with a lovely fresh peppery edge. On the palate this is light but attractive, with a juicy sweetness to the fruit. A lovely glugger. Very good

Evarhis Estate White 2001, Regional Wine of Gerania, Greece
A blend of Assyrtiko, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Attractive open nose is grassy with some rich, smoky melon-tinged lemony fruit. The palate is rich and full textured, with an attractive herbal character and good acidity. Modern and fresh, there’s good concentration of flavour and a dry finish. This is a lovely wine with plenty of character. Very good/excellent

Evarhis Estate Red 2000, Regional Wine of Gerania, Greece
A blend of Syrah, Merlot and Grenache that spends 12 months in French oak. Vivid cherry red colour. Full, forward nose is dominated by sweet vanilla character with some juicy berry fruit. The palate is modern and accessible displaying more sweet berry fruit and vanilla. Good concentration and quite high acidity. This is a well made wine, almost Australian in style, but at the moment the oak is a little overpowering. Very good

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wines tasted August 2002