Dinner at Alex and Lisa Anthopoulos house (a selection of Greek wines)

I was at Alex and Lisa’s place last week-end and they organised a very nice dinner with some of their friends. Once again we had a chance to enjoy Lisa’s talents as a cook, with first a selection of appetizers, including some shrimps covered in prosciutto that were really delicious. We moved on to a leek and potato soup, and then pork tenderloin with an orange glaze and some carrot puree with hazelnut (that was particularly delicious). A generous cheese plate and a raspberry pie later we were done and enjoying our dessert wine.

We started off with 2 wines from Domaine Gentilini, I hope Alex will take this opportunity to offer the WB community with more background on this domaine and the island in general.

With the appetizers: 2008 Gentilini Aspro classic (Greece, grapes: Robola, Tsaoussi and Sauvignon blanc)
This wine paired really well the mediterranean-influenced appetizers. It was quite dry with an expressive flowery nose and a more mineral palate. This was an overall simple but highly enjoyable wine.

With the soup: 2008 Gentilini Robola of Cephalonia (Greece, Cephalonia, grape: Robola)
Thsi wine from the same producer (and the same Greek island on the Ionic Sea) is this time made of 100% Robola, and although it probably loses a bit of the “fun” brought by Tsaoussi and Sauv blanc, it makes up for it with more complexity and especially minerality, making it a great wine to pair with food.

With the main dish we had a Greek wine that really stopped me in my tracks from the first sniff I got. There was no doubt that we had found a compelling red wine in the 2003 Domaine Gerovassiliou Avaton (Northern Greece, from Epanomi in Thessalonia, grapes: Limnio, Mavroudi, Mavrotragano). It is hard to talk about a wine when there is point of reference but if had a character somewhere between a Bordeaux and a Cali Cab, basically more towards Bordeaux but with a slight sweetness to it. This was reasonably complex and long, and although I have little experience with Greek wines (maybe 10 bottles or so all in all) this was definitely the first Greek that I thought showed extremely well. It is definitely worth giving it a try, not only for the curiosity factor.

With the cheese plate, we started with a 1980 Freemark Abbey (Cali Cab) that was absolutely atrocious due to bacterial spoilage of some sort. I went for a back-up and found a 1984 Silver Oak Bonny’s Vineyard that was acceptable, and not at all like the rest of my stash of old cali cabs. The expression on the nose as well as the mouthfeel was more towards a light, old red burg than a strong cali cab. But it was enjoyable nevertheless and I always find it fun to drink 25+ years old wine.

We finished with a 1993 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos that was excellent. The nose was very powerful but on the palate it reminded me more of a Loire sweet wine, a lot of acidity (which I particularly enjoy) and not so fat or oily. Very long, it was a treat at the end of this nice evening.

Thanks again to Alex and especially Lisa for organising this and for the nice company of their friends–many engaging conversations to be had!

Thanks for the notes.

I found this wine a lot more internationally-styled than you. Overall, the styling on the wine masked what points of interest there were. Sounds like more personality has come out in the intervening year which is good.

A.

What the hey! Lisa made my favorite pork tenderloin dish and I didn’t get an invite? Alex, let your better half know she is officially on my shit list.

I’m sure she is much happier to be there than on your fuck list!

Bobulus,

If I recall correctly you had a very nice time at Alba the night before … we’ll have you over for some of your fav dish soon.

Guillaume’s notes are “spot on” and I shall only add that this was the first time I tasted the Avaton and found it less primary and more nuanced. It is a wine that needs some time in the cellar to show well!

Alex

I have to admit this is pretty funny:

I’m sure she is much happier to be there than on your f*ck list!<<<<<

Who knew Vastola would morph into our resident comedian

Don’t be too confident. I heard he’s got an mean and ugly side as well.

It’s all Todd’s fault.

This is me before Berserkers:

So you’re 5 and a half now? Quite literate, and we will be glad to see how you improve as you make your way through elementary school

Not sure about “internationally styled”, it’s such a relative term. I actually didn’t say it was, or it wasn’t: “It is hard to talk about a wine when there is [no] point of reference but i[t] had a character somewhere between a Bordeaux and a Cali Cab, basically more towards Bordeaux but with a slight sweetness to it.” – I mostly have no idea what Greek wines from that region should taste like, and I’m not a professional wine critic so it’s hard for me to pan a whole region by having tasted only one wine and never having been there. The style is definitely modern, but the wine wasn’t boring. I usually need both of those to feel a wine is “internationally styled”.

Actually, I’m going in the other direction.