Agathoto

The warmest year recorded in the last decades in Naoussa gave us the opportunity to grow deeper knowledge and hands-on understanding on the sub-terroir of Gastra. The young Xinomavro vines on our small vineyard showed a remarkable resilience against the challenges met throughout the growing season exceeding expectations and proving why Gastra holds a place among the highest quality “crus” of the region. Precocity was the main characteristic during all the stages of the vine growth due to the high temperatures – apart from a brief cooler break during bud break and flowering. The two hails recorded in May were very mild, followed by an intense, long heat. Despite everything, there was an even fruit set. As part of our experimentation, we decided to selectively proceed with green harvesting in the first week of July aimed at further enhancing the quality features of the fruits.

Harvest: Handpicked on the first week of September 2024 with a yield of 8,000 kg of grapes per hectare.

Situated in Gastra, within the PDO region of Naoussa, this is one of the latest vineyard additions to Kir-Yianni Estate. Gastra is a “cru” of high quality benefiting among others, from a location that usually avoids intense weather phenomena. The parcel has an area under vines of 0.47 ha at 205 meters altitude. The wine is made from block C and is the first KIR-YIANNI Estate’s rosé wine from Xinomavro from the region of Naoussa.

Planting year: 2014
Exposure: ΝΑ
Pruning system: Double cordon
Planting density (plans/ha): 3,470
Slope: >5%
Soil pH: 7.4
Soil: Clay loam, calcareous

One part of the grapes is destemmed and sorted berry by berry on a conveyor belt before led to the vertical basket press. Whole bunch pressing for the other part. Cold soaking for 2 days at 10°C. Fermentation for 10 days in a combination of French oak barrels of 228 liters and oval vats of 10 hl oval vats at temperatures between 17–20°C. Maturation in wooden 10hl tonneux for 8 months.