Naoussa

In Naoussa, temperatures during the first two winter months were relatively cool with moderate rainfall and snow flurries.

February and March were warmer allowing the vines to wake up earlier from dormancy. A cold April delayed bud break by 10 days compared to 2018 bringing the growth pace back to normal. Despite the overall low temperatures during winter, the changeable weather led to uneven bud burst.

Despite low temperatures during April and May downy mildew pressure rose due to prolonged rains until the mid of July. We thinned the canopy mainly from the eastern side to improve air circulation in several of the vineyard blocks with high vigor.

As expected, flowering began after May 25 and veraison after July 20, both later than 2018. The uneven bud burst was followed by an asynchronous veraison and a heterogeneous crop load.

We managed excess vigor due to increased mid-July rainfall with a selective green harvest affecting several grape varieties.

Fortunately August was dry with temperatures rising above average with large diurnal variations. This auspicious weather continued all the way up to October enabling a harvest with very good phenolic ripeness for all grape varieties.

The harvest began after 20 August with Merlot while Xinomavro came last –but not least- at the end of October.

The wines made are marked by elevated alcohol, great acidity, deep color, rich body, and aromatic intensity.

Amyndeon

The growing season in Amyndeon followed a similar pattern to that of Naoussa, albeit with lower temperatures and precipitation overall.

Every stage of the growing season started during normal times, but later than the previous year, except for some of the early-ripening varieties, whose harvest began in some cases on the same dates as 2018.

During early September some of these early-ripening grape varieties started ripening earlier in vineyards that were water stressed. However, the usual morning dew and lower temperatures always observed after mid-August in Amyndeon quenched them just enough to attain optimal ripeness on normal harvest dates expected for each grape variety.

Harvest started on August 26 with Sauvignon Blanc and finished with Xinomavro towards the end of October.

The early-ripening varieties, both the red and the white, have very good aromas, acidity, and structure. Roditis showed a typical varietal character with high acidity, while Xinomavro ripened sufficiently giving us wines of good color, structure, and aroma of exquisite fruit.

Goumenissa

The weather conditions in Goumenissa were similar to those in Naoussa and Amyndeon throughout the growing season.

Harvest began on the usual dates for most of the varieties. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay were picked first, after 20 August, followed by Malagousia, Assyrtiko, and Roditis. Merlot was harvested in early September, and then came Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Xinomavro, and Negkoska.

In 2019 the white wines from Goumenissa have excellent aromas with great balance, while the reds have good structure, balanced acidity, high levels of alcohol, deep color, and vibrant aromas.

2018: A year for “strong nerves”

A year that made us think twice about our traditional vineyard methods, the weather conditions, and the wines we make.

Harvest is the best time of the year. It is not only the moment when a whole year’s work is realized, it is mostly an opportunity for reflection and future planning.

At Kir Yianni we see our Vintage Report, not just as a typical description of the year but more as a statement of the issues that make us wake up every day and go to work!

The Wine Excise Duty Tax imposed two years ago (happily, abolished 1/1/2019), the EU vineyards planting constraints regime, and the aging community of grape growers are all issues that we have touched before.

This year we would like to bring forward two issues that both affect our efforts to create a healthy, sustainable, and world-class wine industry.

1. the outdated legal framework for the wine business in Greece
2. the changing weather conditions

The PDO/PGI system in Greece was established more than forty years ago and not many changes have occurred ever since, despite the spectacular changes in the wine industry during the last decade.  Our system has to change, if we ever like to be considered part of the modern wine world. The Wine Industry and the Ministry of Rural Development, led by the local wine councils have to reinvent themselves and bring the legal structure up to date. The system has to work with the winemakers and not against them, in order to ensure quality control, best practices and long-term development.  We all hope that next year the first Greek Vine and Wine Symposium, will address all these issues and put the right framework for a healthy Greek Vineyard in 2030.

The second issue has to do with the changing weather conditions.

This year we have witnessed a mild winter with heavy rainfall, but limited snowfall. Temperatures have been higher than average.

The spring came with normal rainfalls but in April, one of the driest Aprils ever.  Average temperatures were high, so bud break came earlier than ever, signaling yet another premature vintage.

Little did we know!

The early summer was shocking with daily night rainfalls throughout July, which forced the hardcore growers to work even harder and the less resistant to just look at their mildew hit vineyards.

Intensive work and regular interventions had results. On August 18^th, a heavy rain shower of over 180mm in four hours, created more problems to the roads than to our vineyards!

It was the end of a dramatic month after which, we had a long due great summer! Beautiful days of normal temperatures with cool nights lasted till the end of October, allowing a fine, slow, and patient ripening of all our Xinomavro vineyards.

We harvested till October 15^th wearing T-shirts and shorts, bringing in grapes of good colors, beautiful aromatic intensity and high sugar levels. What is very interesting is the admirable balance of the wines, the high alcohol level giving structure to the wines, yet with a medium phenolic ripeness, producing wines with extreme elegance,  already “resting” in our barrel cellar; we are looking forward tasting them again in the spring for our final verdict.

Still, we have not answered the questions of the year.

How are we going to address these weather changes?  Do we need to increase yields and green harvest more strictly?  How are we going to change a non-dependable growing circle?  Which are the factors that will make our Xinomavros even more elegant, easier to drink today, yet keeping the longevity they are known for?  We are closer every year in managing these notorious tannins, but are we on the right track?

These are the questions we address every day, and believe me, we still do not have all the answers!

Still, this is what we do, and we love it!

I am looking forward hearing your comments, opinions and questions.

Best Regards,

Stellios Boutaris

An excellent wine-year!

On the positive side

The weather conditions in March and April resulted in an early budbreak–the earliest ever in the last decade.

We observed a highly uniform canopy growth, especially for Xinomavro. Another noteworthy development was the early change of color of the grape seeds, paving the way for a good phenolic ripeness.

In Naoussa, as well as in Amyndeon, the lack of rainfall during the period of April-June and August-September respectively, in combination with lower temperatures at night, greatly benefited grape health and maturity.

On the negative side

In Naoussa, due to the unusually high daytime temperature,we suffered from some sunburn in the south-facing vineyard blocks especially those with Xinomavro.

At Amyndeon the very cold and dry conditions of last winter, resulted in low water reserves for the vines. Unfortunately during the much-awaited rains in May and July many parts of the Amyndeon grape-growing region were hit by hail, which dramatically slashed our yield in several vineyard blocks.

2016 Vintage: a year with uneven conditions, which led to outstanding results

2016 was a year with uneven conditions, which led to uneven results. The secret again was our meticulous work on the vine and a very careful selection process, thanks to which, we were able to get grapes of the best possible quality, turning a difficult situation into advantage and a vintage with fickle conditions into outstanding.

The pluses (+)

A moderately hot summer, with dry conditions, mainly during the first two months, created the ideal conditions for the early ripening of the grapes.

The mild temperatures recorded in August and the wide diurnal temperature range helped all varieties to retain high acidity and high aromatic potential. Although intense rainfall in the beginning of September slowed down the ripening rate of Xinomavro, the immediate improvement of the weather allowed the completion of the ripening process, bringing the harvest date forward by 5 to 10 days.

The minuses (-)

The hot and dry first months of 2016 caused the uneven development of the first shoots. May followed with higher rainfall levels than usual, impeding the normal course of flowering. These conditions led to the production of grapes with different ripeness level on the same vine. In Amyndeon, weather conditions were similar, with the exception of higher precipitation levels in August and September, which made the ripening of late varieties, such as Xinomavro, difficult.

A very good year, almost a great one

Mild weather conditions and low levels of humidity until the end of summer created high expectations about the quality of this year’s vintage.

However, the unusual weather of September, with high temperatures in the beginning and a lot of rain during the second half, disturbed the smooth development of the grapes. The early ripening red and white varieties that were not affected by this change reached very high levels of quality. As for Xinomavro, which was stressed by the difficult conditions during its harvest, even though 2015 is not the great year that we all have been expecting, the first samples show that it is going to offer beautiful wines with intense fruity aromas and a soft mouthfeel.

The good moments

For most of the year, 2015 featured ideal weather conditions. Increased water reserves in the beginning and normal temperatures until April provided the best start to the new growing season. The dry weather conditions of May reduced the risk of downy mildew and other fungal diseases, protecting the health of the grapes both in Naoussa and Amyndeon. Temperatures during the summer months were lower than usual, however at the end of this period the grapes showed a beautiful, even color, impeccable health and well-ripened seeds. Everything pointed to a great vintage.

The difficult moments

A few days before the end, September came to reverse the normal course of this year’s harvest. This month started with unusually high temperatures, which caused severe stress to the vines, putting their strength to the test. These conditions led to the delay of the ripening process for most of the varieties. In the second half of September, though, days with high levels of precipitation and days of sunshine succeeded one another, creating problems to Xinomavro, especially in Naoussa, where a light hail storm damaged the leaves of the vines.

Every cloud has a silver lining…

2013 harvest started earlier than any other year before. This made it difficult for the early varieties to ripen, but also helped the late ripening Xinomavro give excellent results both in Naoussa and Amyndeon.

A year with generally good weather conditions, but also some very difficult moments, at the end 2013 rewarded us by offering grapes with excellent colour  good tannins, intense colour and an elegant character.

Naoussa

2012 started with temperatures relatively lower than the usual, with the exception of March, which becomes increasingly hotter during the last years, while normal levels of precipitation occurred. Due to the high temperatures of March, most varieties started their growth cycle rather earlier (end of March).

In April and May normal temperatures occurred, but rainfall levels were higher causing intense growth rate of the plants and delayed flowering by a few days (end of May).

The relative humidity of the air was high and therefore there was an increased risk for the development of downy mildew. However, the vines were not seriously affected, thanks to the successfully applied plant protection measures and the high temperatures that followed during the summer months.

The following months were particularly hot, with temperatures of above 40 οC frequently occurring throughout the whole summer. Berries, right after fruit set, developed under constantly high temperatures, to which they were able to adapt thanks to the lack of variations. Repeated irrigation, which was necessary because of the hot and dry conditions in summer (graph 3), led to an intense photosynthetic process for several hours during the day, resulting in the early maturation of the grapes of most of the varieties.

Merlot and Syrah were harvested in the last third of August, having achieved high Baumé levels, good acidity and an excellent phenolic potential.

During the first third of September weather was very hot, but towards the middle of the month it changed, rain fell for 5 consecutive days and the temperature dropped to relatively low levels. These conditions delayed the ripening of Xinomavro, which until that time showed signs of early ripening. Waiting for the excess water to drain and for the plants to achieve the ripeness levels that they had reached before the rain, we started to harvest in the end of September until early October when we picked the last vineyard blocks of the Kir-Yianni Estate, having the weather on our side thanks to the favourable Indian summer conditions.

According to our usual practice, we carried out a meticulous selection of grapes on the sorting table in order to use only the best berries of the best bunches from each vineyard block.

Although the color is not at the same level compared to 2011, the aromatic character and flavours of the wines are of equally good quality, while they have softer tannins, and therefore we believe that we have a very good to outstanding year.

A great year for Xinomavro!

After three consecutive years of rather average quality, it looks like in 2011 Xinomavro comes back to its very high standards.

This year the weather helped the grapes to reach good levels of phenolic maturity with relatively low potential alcohol, which is something that we try to achieve during the last years. It seems that 2011, just like 1994 and 2001, will be one of these years that only come once in a decade!

After a rainy month of May, the long period that followed was dry but with no extreme temperatures. As a result, the grapes could reach good maturity levels with a potential alcohol that did not exceed 14%, and good acidity. In the first tanks, the color is black and the first measurements in the lab give results that we have never seen before. Finally, the absence of heat waves during the summer resulted in grapes with very good levels of acidity, which, in their turn, will give wines with long aging potential.

Especially during the last 15 days, after the heavy rain of the 20th of September, temperatures in Naoussa range between 23 and 25 oC during the day falling to a low of 14-16 oC in the night, creating perfect conditions for the maturation process.