Description

PRODUCER:
The Foivos winery evolved from the historic Mantzavino winery, one of the oldest in Greece. The winery was bought in 1996, and in 1999 Theodorous Orkopoulos produced his first vintage. The winery specialises in rare Greek varieties as well as the better-known Robola. The grapes are farmed organically and biodynamically, and Foivos also explores alternative winemaking practices such as fermentation in Amphora and ageing under water. This winery is making some excellent terroir-driven wines that rank among some of Greece’s finest. Many people believe Kefalonia to be the next Santorini: watch this space!

VINEYARD:
Robola is Kefalonia’s most well-known indigenous variety, producing fresh and aromatic citrussy wines. The grapes for this cuvée come from 20-year-old vines that are ungrafted and grown on their own indigenous roots in a vineyard in Fragata, on the free-draining slopes of Mount Ainos. Mount Ainos is situated in the southern half of Kefalonia and is the highest mountain on the island. The vines are planted at 600 metres above sea level. At this altitude, there is considerable diurnal temperature variation; the hot, dry summer days give way to cool evenings. This temperature difference encourages a long hang time, promoting concentrated flavours in the grapes, balanced by refreshing natural acidity. The climate is Mediterranean, influenced by the surrounding sea, which has a moderating effect on the hot and dry summer, resulting in naturally fresh wines. The vines thrive in poor rocky limestone soils, which impart the mineral, chalky and high acidity characters to the Robola wines.

WINEMAKING:
The carefully selected grapes underwent a cold pre-fermentation maceration for eight to 10 hours to extract aromas and flavours. Only the free-run juice was selected for this premium cuvée, which was fermented with wild yeasts at controlled temperatures in stainless steel tanks to showcase the purity of fruit and vibrant aromatics. The wine was matured in stainless steel tanks for a month on its fine lees with periodic stirring, which imparted texture and delicate complexity. The wine was gently filtered before bottling.

VINTAGE:
The 2020 vintage was marked by intense heat, which resulted in early ripening of the grapes and an early harvest. The winter saw plentiful rains, which resulted in a healthy growing season during the summer. There were no episodes of frost, a rarity for the island. However, the summer heat reduced yields and resulted in small berries of concentrated juice. The wines are of excellent quality.

TASTING NOTE:
Bone dry and refreshing, with complex aromas of vibrant citrus, exotic fruit, ruby grapefruit and ripe pear. The palate delivers tightly wound intensity, chalky minerality and delicate spicy notes on the sculpted finish.

GRAPES:
Robola 100%.

AWARDS:
• 90 Points, Wine Advocate, 2019
• 17 Points, Jancis Robinson, 2019