The 2015 vintage report
An excellent year for all early varieties and rather good for Xinomavro. This year started with the best omens it could provide us. Until the end of August through mid-September we were preparing for an amazing year for Xinomavro. But persistent rain and low intensity hail in the middle of September halted the great maturation process of the grapes!
The Weather During Vegetative Cycle:
The vegetative cycle began with a good amount of rain and pretty mild temperatures. March was rather rainy and cool, delaying bud break. Limited rainfalls during April and May didn’t favor mildew, or any other disease, and as a result the grapes were perfectly healthy.
June was cool and dry while August the month of veraison was also cool but rainy. Besides all that veraison started and completed relatively early. It is one of the few years that red varieties showed such a great and uniform coloring at the end of August! When September began, the temperature rose pretty high for our standards for 2-3 days, and that caused a kind of shock in the Xinomavro vineyards. The twenty cold and rainy days that followed delayed the vintage of all varieties.
Phenological Stages:
Most of the varieties began relatively late their vegetative growth, in mid-April, while flowering took place on its usual time, the last ten days of May. Veraison started early on all varieties (late July to early August). Maturing was delayed mostly on white varieties and Xinomavro. Malagouzia was harvested on September the 5th, Asyrtiko and Athiri 10 days after, (a late harvest for both of them considering previous years). In the end of September we harvested Mavrodaphne and Negoska while Xinomavro was picked up in the first days of October (as usually but having a lower sugar concentration).
Highlights of The Year:
- Extremely early and unusual uniform coloring of Xinomavro grapes in the end of August
- High sugar concentration in white varieties and Mavrodaphne, medium in Xinomavro and Negkoska
- Excellent perfume-aroma and good acidity both on white and red varieties
- Good potassium absorption for Xinomavro resulted in high pH in wines.
- Amazing extraction of anthocyanin’s in Mavrodaphne, and pretty good in Xinomavro and Negkoska
Vintage Evaluation:
Argatia White: Very good acidity that goes along with high alcohol levels, very nice and intense aromas, typical for every variety, an amazing body. Probably an excellent year!
Argatia Red: Balance between alcohol levels and acidity, a very good color with a medium body and quite intense aromas !
Naoussa: Medium alcohol levels, intense fruity aromas and a very good color. Very good and not harsh tannins that come along with a medium body, good acidity and very good pH. A year that is much better than the last one and reminds us of the 2010 vintage!
The Weather During Vegetative Cycle:
The vegetative cycle began with a good amount of rain and pretty mild temperatures. March was rather rainy and cool, delaying bud break. Limited rainfalls during April and May didn’t favor mildew, or any other disease, and as a result the grapes were perfectly healthy.
June was cool and dry while August the month of veraison was also cool but rainy. Besides all that veraison started and completed relatively early. It is one of the few years that red varieties showed such a great and uniform coloring at the end of August! When September began, the temperature rose pretty high for our standards for 2-3 days, and that caused a kind of shock in the Xinomavro vineyards. The twenty cold and rainy days that followed delayed the vintage of all varieties.
Phenological Stages:
Most of the varieties began relatively late their vegetative growth, in mid-April, while flowering took place on its usual time, the last ten days of May. Veraison started early on all varieties (late July to early August). Maturing was delayed mostly on white varieties and Xinomavro. Malagouzia was harvested on September the 5th, Asyrtiko and Athiri 10 days after, (a late harvest for both of them considering previous years). In the end of September we harvested Mavrodaphne and Negoska while Xinomavro was picked up in the first days of October (as usually but having a lower sugar concentration).
Highlights of The Year:
- Extremely early and unusual uniform coloring of Xinomavro grapes in the end of August
- High sugar concentration in white varieties and Mavrodaphne, medium in Xinomavro and Negkoska
- Excellent perfume-aroma and good acidity both on white and red varieties
- Good potassium absorption for Xinomavro resulted in high pH in wines.
- Amazing extraction of anthocyanin’s in Mavrodaphne, and pretty good in Xinomavro and Negkoska
Vintage Evaluation:
Argatia White: Very good acidity that goes along with high alcohol levels, very nice and intense aromas, typical for every variety, an amazing body. Probably an excellent year!
Argatia Red: Balance between alcohol levels and acidity, a very good color with a medium body and quite intense aromas !
Naoussa: Medium alcohol levels, intense fruity aromas and a very good color. Very good and not harsh tannins that come along with a medium body, good acidity and very good pH. A year that is much better than the last one and reminds us of the 2010 vintage!