• Home
  • : 2011 Kir-Yianni "Ramnista" Xinomavro Naoussa Greece
2011 Kir-Yianni "Ramnista" Xinomavro Naoussa Greece Product Zoom

2011 Kir-Yianni "Ramnista" Xinomavro Naoussa Greece

SKU #1233096 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark The 2011 Ramnista is an old vines Xinomavro sourced from selected vineyard blocks within the Yianakohori vineyard. It won't make lovers of the fruity, sweet and simple very happy, but if you like old school Barbaresco, this somewhat aggressive red is for you. It is well priced for the quality, too, and one of my favorite Ramnistas to this point--although it is young and requires some patience despite the late release. It was aged in a mixture of French and American oak (25% new in a mixture of 225-liter and 500-liter casks) for 18 months, a bit longer than usual. Unevolved, intense, powerful and crisp, this is a wine with earth and oak on the nose, plus some forest floor, vanilla and eggplant on the finish. There's not much "suave" here just now and that finish becomes astringent with some aeration. The oak impact increases a bit, too. That, by the way, is how they usually show when I first see them in the USA, but this is particularly well-focused and constructed, showing that power, but also intensity of flavor and some good fruit. It will come around, but it could surely use at least a few years in the cellar. It will always be a better food wine than a sipper. This is a lot of wine for the price. (MS) Inner quote mark (10/2015)

Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark Ripe, with an intense minerality to the flavors of dried herb, dark currant and raspberry tart. Very spicy, presenting a lilting finish that is fresh and broad in texture, revealing plenty of tannins. (Web Only--2015) Inner quote mark

K&L Notes

Beautifully bright in color with a crystalline ruby edge. The nose exudes finesse along with perfectly ripe red fruits, high-toned blue fruits and a subtle minerality which leads you into a structural wonderland on the palate. The open-knit fruit is met by a tannin structure that tells you this wine is serious and first class, meant to be taken seriously. The interaction of elegant fruit, textural tannin, and fine lengthy acidity is absolutely fantastic. If you happen to be a fan of Barolo or Nebbiolo in general, you're going to really get a kick out of this. Oh, and it just happens to be a whole lot less expensive too! Decant for a good two hours or cellar for 10 years. (Eric Story, Greek Buyer)


Share |
Price: $59.99
Add To Waiting List
RP: 92

Real Time Inventory by location:

The item you have chosen is not in stock in our retail stores or within our main warehouse.

Product turnaround time varies by location of inventory and your chosen method of shipping/pickup. For a detailed explanation click here.

Related Items

Loading recommendations

Product Reviews:
By: Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/11/2016 | Send Email
This wine screams out crushed plums, black fruit, and pulverized rocks on the nose. The tannins provide a beautiful mouth coating texture and just begs to be paired with a lamb chop or juicy steak. The body is quite rustic, full of earth, spice, and leather. The finish is long and circles back around to the dark berry and plum beginning. Decanting and food are imperative and contribute to a rewarding experience. But one for dinner this Friday and one or two for the cellar!

By: John Majeski | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/9/2016 | Send Email
Glass Full Glass Full Glass Full Glass Full Glass Empty
Grew up reading Greek myths, the toga and tiara struggle between gods and mortals, long before touching Greek wine to my all too mortal lips. One tale told of the Phrygian king Tantalus, who, when invited to dine with the big boys and girls at Mount Olympus, suddenly excused himself and made a hasty exit with their finest nectar and ambrosia stuffed in his bulging tunic. Big mistake. His punishment? Banished for thirsty eternity to a lonely hot tub in the Underworld, where whenever he reached for a mouthful of ripe fruit from the nearby vines, they receded just out of reach, and whenever he put his hand out to grasp a goblet of wine, it spilled its glistening contents… well fortunately we’ve made things much simpler by bringing you this truly ‘tantalizing’, reachable bottle of superb Xinomavro (which translates as 'acid wine'). This is a robust, earthy and deeply-scented red, effusive with aromas and flavors of cassis, black plums, red raspberries, forest leaf fall and licorice spice, caressed by lusty tannins and finishing firm and slightly tangy. Certainly ageworthy, but don’t wait for an eternity. And save the ambrosia, just bring on the moussaka!
Top Value!

By: Diana Turk | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/5/2016 | Send Email
Racy cherry fruit and a palate that somehow manages to be both smooth and earthy. This is an elegant, high acid wine that almost drinks like a bright Nebbiolo. Herbal notes on the nose and a tannic finish, this complex Xinomavro will benefit from age but is interesting enough to try now.

By: Olivia Ragni | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/5/2016 | Send Email
This Xinomavro has incredible lift and acidity, while still having that hallmark Xinomavro tannin. There are notes of bright cherries, figs, and fennel coupled with flavors of eucalyptus, leather, and iron. This is a wine that is light yet tannic; full of fruit, yet incredibly earthy; and rustic while maintaining exceptional complexity. I love its opposing characteristics that work seamlessly together.

By: Mahon McGrath | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/3/2016 | Send Email
If I were to smell this blind, I’d probably guess I was in the presence of a Barbaresco. Licorice and mint curl up with berry fruit and warm baking spices on the nose, before it goes in an emphatically dry, high-toned, resinous, woody direction on the palate. The high acidity and strong tannins mark this one as an excellent candidate for squirreling away in a cold cellar; this is going to last for many years. And what will you find years on when its sleep is ended? I suspect that as the resinous notes are absorbed, the wonderfully natural raspberry fruit and dry herb notes that come out now only on the finish will emerge, and the wine will take on a elegant, supple, and seductive character, supplanting the bold and forceful one it displays at present.

Additional Information:

;