Dry Red 
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Winemaker's Note
Deep ruby in color, on the nose the wine shows a pungent character composed of peppers, caramel and chocolate notes emerging over a background of ripe red fruits and smoke. The palate is full, showing volume, a rich structure and a lip smacking freshness that creates a lingering, spicy finish.
Varieties
Syrah 70%, Merlot 30%
Production
Origin: Selected blocks of the Naoussa vineyards at Kir-Yianni Estate
Ageing
12-15 years
Cellaring
14 months in 225 lt French and American oak casks- further ageing in bottle for another 8 months
Origin
PGI Imathia
Food Pairing
n/a
Analytical Data
The Kir-Yianni Estate vineyards in the PDO Naoussa zone are located at an altitude of 120-280m. On the Eastern foothills of Mt. Vermio. The appella- tion’s microclimate is marked by abundant precipitation during the winter and spring and moderate drought during summer. The site spans over rolling hills with medium to high slopes and panoramic exposure. Its soil type is a mixed limestone ranging from clay to loam and sandy loam. Due to this diversity and complexity of the site the vineyards are established in 42 separate blocks - each one with its own particular characteristics and viticul- tural practices. At the heart of the Estate two soil types and varieties meet: Syrah thrives on the low pH sandy loam of block #19 and Merlot on the loamy limestone of the block #32. These two blocks share moderate slopes facing southeast, while row orientation ranges from Northeast to East. A double vertical shoot positioning trellis and a generous vine spacing of 3500-4000 per hectare are in place for optimal vigor & canopy management. The resulting yield is 60 hectoliters per hectare.
The winemaking objective for Dyo Elies is to highlight the characteristics of each variety and then create a unique wine through their blending. Merlot offers the full body, Syrah adds the spice with a velvety aftertaste. Harvest dates are different for each variety starting from the end of August for Merlot, to the mid and end of September for Syrah. Grapes are hand-picked and manually selected on a sorting table prior to crush. For each variety, during the first week after crush, the must is cold soaked at 11-12οC in a reduc- tive environment. Temperatures gradually rise for the fermentation to take place at 29-30οC for Merlot, which also undergoes a post-fermentation maceration for a few days. In contrast, the temperature for Syrah is maintained at 22-24οC throughout the fermentation and as soon as it is over the malolactic fermentation is initiated in new oak. Following fermentation the wines are aged separately in French and American 225-lt casks. About 20% of the barrels in the cellar are renowned.
