Xinomavro

Let's go to Greece today, but not just anywhere in Greece. Let's go to Naousa all the way in the northeastern corner of the Greek isle of Paros. Once a Russian naval base from which the 18th century Russians battles the Turks, it's now a tiny beachfront town nearly as close to Turkey as it is to Athens on the Greek mainland. With relatively few people in Naousa, it's populated more by grapes grown just off the beach than it is by the small number of locals.

We're here to drink wine made from Xinomavro. Normally a blending grape only and one of the only wine terms you will ever come up with that begins with the letter X, And, while much of the Xinomavro grown in the area is sent out of Naousa to make Greek red blends, all red wines made in the Protected Designation of Orgin (PDO) of Naousa must be 100% Xinomavro.

If you are a fan of really big, really tannic, really earthy wines, then Xinomavro might be for you. In fact, Naousa red wines are often compared to the famed Barolo of the northwestern Italian Piemonte, collector's wines that are quite ageworthy and quite pricey.

Today, we're tasting three Xinomavro wines -- one that was just released, one from 2010, and one from 2000. Immediately, we notice that the wine is dense; we can see that in the glass. The aromas are strong and as dark as the near black filling the glass. On the nose, this wine is loaded with anise, black plum, hoisin sauce, and tobacco.

As we take our first sips, we find the 2016 difficult to drink. Even for fans of incredibly tanniz wines, this makes not just your mouth pucker, but nearly your whole face. On the other hand, the tannins in the 2010 and particularly in the 2000 have softened considerably. Here, the dark fruit comes through as do significant notes of allspice while the plum and licorica notes remain, but really significant earthiness has come through.

Because of that earthiness and the still dense tannins, we've chosen to pair this wine with three separate dishes -- steak au poivre, steak Diane, and tortellini stuffed with garlic, mushrooms, and some aged parmesan cheese. In each case, note the savory flavors of the dish, so important in pairing with this rich, earthy wine.