2006 Parparoussis Muscat de Rio Patras 500ml

This is show-stopping wine, able to silence an entire tasting panel on first whiff. Made from old vines grown on the northern coast of the Peloponnese, just east of Patras, it smells like an orange grove in full bloom. The flavor is no less expansive, a tapestry of orange, honey, jasmine and chamomile woven into its satin texture. For all that flavor, it’s as light as a meringue, able to stand as an aperitif or a dessert wine for fig ice cream. (8/ 2012)

The 2006 Muscat De Rio Patras in 500ml size is not a fortified Muscat, but is made from grapes dried in the sun for 10 days. It comes in at 13% alcohol if you’re wondering and it doesn’t seem like any wimp in that regard. Opening dense and tightly wound, this is a wine with plenty of intensity, largely from acidity, but it is not particularly unctuous. It has fine structure and subtle power, with a burnished feel and darker flavors. It will benefit from some cellar time, I expect, and it took an hour and some warmth to unwind. It drank better the next day. It has the acidity, flavor and stuffing to hold up to cheeses and would likely be a good match for many. It could actually use a food matchup as it is rather stern for a dessert wine. Drink now-2022. (4/ 2012)