Located in the Naoussa region of Macedonia in northwestern Greece, the Kir-Yianni winery is owned by Yiannis Boutari, whose family is one of the most famous in Greek winemaking. After a split with his brother in 1996, Yiannis took over the estate business and re-named it Kir Yianni which means ‘Master Yianni’ because his staff and colleagues respectfully refer to this 69 year old Greek wine icon as such. He wanted to focus on small production estate-grown wines. His brother took over the family’s volume-oriented wine business which he continues to expand. One of the first things Yiannis said to us was, ‘I’m the old school. I love terroir’s.’ He has been instrumental in showcasing the Naoussa region, and constantly striving to improve it while maintaining certain traditions. In ancient mythology, Naoussa was known for its gardens which were ideal for growing everything from wine grapes to peaches, apples and cherries.

The 2008 Ramnista, which is made of 100% Xinomavro, is simply gorgeous. We found purple and black fruits, truffles, rose petals, spices, plums and dark cherries, which led to comparisons during our tasting in Greece to Barolo and Barbaresco wines. For sure, this is a value when put up against $50+ bottles from Piedmont, yet possessing the same quality/richness ratio. We tasted youthful 1997 and 2000 bottles alongside the 2007 and 2008. ‘Ramnista’ is an important cru of Naoussa and Xinomavro is not only an ancient grape of the region and historically the most widely planted, it was also the favorite grape of Yiannis Boutaris’ wife Athena who passed in 2007. You could say that the Ramnista wine really expresses the soul of ancient Greece since it is made of the ancient Xinomavro grape, and for hundreds of years, the reds of Naoussa were known as the best wines of Greece, as well as for their aging ability.

Another interesting fact: throughout history, Xinomavro was blended with other grapes (i.e. the ‘Bulgarian grapes’ back in the day) but the planting of Merlot and Syrah in the mid-1980’s led to interesting blends. Winemakers were so impressed that the AOC law is in the process of being changed. Currently, AOC Naoussa must be 100% Xinomavro. But by 2013 or 2014 it will be legal to blend up to 20% Syrah and/or Merlot, and many are already blending including Yiannis Boutaris. In the future, Yiannis’ sons Stelios and Mihalis, will undoubtedly take over the business with degrees from Insead Business School and UC Davis respectively. Yiannis has been working professionally since 1965, and has said, ’I have seen the Greek wine trade change drastically in the last 40 years in a positive way. I hope I may have contributed to these positive changes.’

Price:$29.99 in mixed case $26.99 SKU01634

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