«Indeed, 2022 reminded us of how precious patience could be. It tested us, played with our nerves, and finally rewarded our decisions. Tasting the Xinomavros of this vintage, we are speechless. The tricky tannins are smooth and velvety, the body is full and structured, the colors out of this world and the aromatic richness enormous. In the event, a very good year».
Stellios Boutaris, Winemaker
KTIMA KIR-YIANNI – NAOUSSA
Weather conditions throughout the year
WINTER
Intensely cold with snowy mountain tops and intervals of rain. These conditions contributed to the completion of the dormant period and the increase of the bud fertility, the enrichment of the aqueous horizon with water and the later bud break.
SPRING
Kickoff with a much colder -variable that characterized all three months of the season- and wetter March than the average standards over the last years, with a much drier than usual follow-up. Bud break started on 8 April 2022, a week later than 2021. After the 10th of May the temperatures were typical of the season for the area. Nevertheless, flowering coincided with the previous year starting on 20 May 2022.
RIPENING SEASON AND HARVEST START
Mild summer except for a heatwave in the first half of August. September started with notable rain (100mm) and continued with rather typical conditions (high temperatures in the day and low at night) for a period of 40 days. As a result, there was a later harvest than usual, even though starting dates were almost the same as in the previous year. By way of illustration, 2022 harvest began on 23 August and ended on 13 October, compared to 30 August and 26 September respectively in 2021.
Those conditions altered the usual ripening timetables of the varieties. For example, Syrah, that most of the times follows Merlot and often coincides with Cabernet Sauvignon, this year was harvested after Cabernet Sauvignon and just before Xinomavro. The latter, due to the physiology of the variety, was the one to be tested more due to the precipitation.
HARVEST TIMETABLES ON INDICATIVE XINOMAVRO BLOCKS
Block | Variety | First -last day of harvest | Potential alcohol content (brix) |
Cru Cyclamina | Xinomavro | 30 September 2022 | 23 |
Cru Siniaki | Xinomavro | 30 Sept -2 Oct 2022 | 22.6 |
Cru Limni | Xinomavro | 4 October 2022 | 23.2 |
Gastra* | Xinomavro | 8 October 2022 | 22.9 |
*New vineyard, recently acquired by Kir-Yianni; source of AGATHOTO wine released in the end of 2022, the first Kir-Yianni rose wine from Xinomavro from the vineyard of Naoussa.
IN TERMS OF QUANTITY
The increased bud fertility due to the winter conditions led to a 12% increase of the total production compared to the previous vintage.
IN TERMS OF QUALITY
«It was one of the few years with a rather typical seasonal alteration -with its pros and cons. Apart from the unexpected events, the quality of the grapes in terms of plant health was exquisite in all varieties. The conditions favored the completion of veraison and the coloring of the grapes, keeping always in mind the impact of the intense precipitation in the heart of harvest-time. The cool summer is probably the most dominant factor of 2022 vintage».
Charalambos Parharidis, Ktima Kir-Yianni Naoussa Agriculturist
«Patience was the keyword for the 2022 harvest. To wait after and in between rainfalls for the grapes to recover, to rely on measurements and have faith that everything was done right, and the grapes would overcome the obstacles. Despite the slightly higher than usual pH due to the rain, acidity is there, alive and kicking; very good results for the French varieties, even better for Xinomavros. We owe a big thanks to 2022 harvest as it has taught us a lot».
Antonis Kioseoglou, Kir-Yianni Chief Oenologist
KTIMA KIR-YIANNI – AMYNDEON
Weather conditions throughout the year
WINTER
Typical of the region with relatively low temperatures and adequate precipitation and snow that helped the plants to rest and the soil to replenish its water reserves. There were no notable variations compared to previous years.
SPRING
It started off wintry; March was one of the coldest of all times without much precipitation. That resulted in a later (by a week) than regional average bud break. Afterwards, temperatures returned to normal for the season and area, coming to an end though with a warm and much drier May.
RIPENING SEASON AND HARVEST START
June kicked off with very high temperatures, interrupted by an intense hailstorm. It was fortunate that blossoming had been delayed by a week for all the varieties, apart from Chardonnay, resulting in significantly less fruit set damage. July began with alteration between long heatwave/dryness and rain with relatively cool weather. A 30-day period of dryness and high temperatures followed -luckily milder than in 2021- that tested but not strained the plants.
A wave of precipitation and rather low temperatures alarmed us as the early varieties, known for being highly susceptible to rot, were at the final stage of ripening. Till the 5th of September when finally, the typical north wind of Amyndeon clearing up the skies, it was a most difficult test for us demanding vigilance, experience, and patience. Harvest began on 21 August and ended on 20 October 2022. The corresponding dates of 2021 were 25 August and 30 October.
Harvest commenced with Traminer -and not Sauvignon Blanc as usual- at low yield vine plots due to the hail. There was a limited time window for harvesting due to the weather, hence -taking into consideration the ripening level and the health of the grapes- priority was given to more mature vine parcels and plots with a higher damage probability. Even in cases of varieties that were tested more this year, quality grapes arrived at the winery thanks to the vine growers’ strict selection process in the vineyard.
From 5 September, there was a weather change with relatively lower humidity during the day and lower temperatures at night; those conditions favored the grapes that were not still harvested allowing them to benefit from their longer stay on the plant. That same setting was extremely favorable for Xinomavro -as always in the case of Amyndeon- offering concentration in sugars and anthocyanins.
HARVEST TIMETABLES ON INDICATIVE BLOCKS
Block | Variety | First -last day of harvest | Potential alcohol content (brix) |
Drοumo | Sauvignon Blanc | 29 August 2022 | 22.5 |
Samaropetra | Malagousia | 6 September 2022 | 22.6 |
Palpo | Chardonnay | 11 September 2022 | 23.7 |
Tarsanas | Assyrtiko | 26 September 2022 | 22.2 |
Rasto | Xinomavro | 8 October 2022 | 24.1 |
2022 harvest evaluation
IN TERMS OF QUANTITY
The hailstorm and the reduced bud fertility led to a volume decrease by 20% compared to 2021. It must be pinpointed that rainfall had an impact on the yields resulting in a slightly higher production than expected, a factor that mitigated to some extent the damage caused by the hail.
IN TERMS OF QUANTITY
«The year was characterized by rich aromas and phenolics, regular alcohol level, high total acidity, and high pH. The latter was the preeminent element of the vintage for the region that is not accustomed to such levels, offering a singular character to 2022 wines».
Vasileios Mylonas, Ktima Kir-Yianni Amyndeon Agriculturist
«If patience was the trademark of 2022 harvest, in Amyndeon we could talk about an “Indian summer”. Rainfall was a challenge but at the same time gave life to a region where many vines are not irrigated. And in our case, Xinomavros with the help of the “Indian summer” reached an outstanding ripening level. Syrah, Assyrtiko and Malagousia were the ones tested most, yet we cannot have it both ways. 2022 harvest in Amyndeon will be a constant reminder of what sun and heat in Autumn can do…»
Antonis Kioseoglou, Kir-Yianni Chief Oenologist