GAI'A Agiorgitiko

GAI'A Agiorgitiko bottle image

Wine Description

One of the pioneers of the modern Greek wine revolution, Gai’a Estate (pronounced Yay-ya) was established in 1994 by Leon Karatsalos and winemaker Yiannis Paraskevopoulos. Their mission was to capture the best that Greece’s indigenous grapes have to offer by merging traditional viticultural and production methods with innovative techniques. The estate is named after “Mother Earth,” in honor of the unique terroir that gives birth to these world-class wines.

GAI'A Santorini beach tasting
GAI'A Nemea Vineyards
Nemea Winery
Santorini Winery
Yiannis Paraskevopoulos and Leon Karatsalos
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Acclaim
“Concentrated dark fruit notes with oak spice. Fleshy and firm on the palate, with ripe fruit character.” (Silver)
— Decanter, Sep 2019
“Mid cherry red. Rich, spicy bramble fruit, dark but bright. The oak spice is there but not domineering. Still very firm texture but great depth of fruit and has all the freshness that elevation endows. Very pure, very youthful. Very long.” (17++ out of 20 points)
— Jancis Robinson, Oct 2019
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Vineyard & Production Info
Soil composition
Calcareous
Exposure:
Southwestern
First vintage of this wine:
2000
Average Vine Age:
15 years
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Agiorgitiko
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
6-8 months
Total SO2
85
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.5
Acidity:
5.6 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Total SO2
85
Residual sugar:
2.4 g/L
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Wine Production

The wine is aged in French oak barrels for a term of 6 to 8 months. It is then transferred to the bottle and laid to rest and additional bottle aging for another 3 to 6 months before release.

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About the Vineyard

Harvested from select, mature, low-yielding vines in the hills of the Koutsi region of Nemea. The vineyards are non-irrigated, and are located on a ten-degree slope facing West-Southwest. These conditions offer the ideal environment for producing small clusters of small, thick-skinned berries with more serious, concentrated fruit flavors and characteristically “spicy” notes.