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
“This has a briskness to the juicy berry fruit that makes it easy to drink. It’s spicy and lightly tannic, a balanced, easy-going agiorgitiko for lamb sandwiches.”– (Web-only)
— Wine & Spirits, Aug 2021
“The 2018 Agiorgitiko was aged for 12 months in used French oak and comes in at 14% alcohol. If you're wondering why to trade up from something like the Notios red or the Monograph, well, that's an easy answer: This has a lot more concentration. It will hold up to foods better. The fruit is richer and more expressive. Plus, the structure is a bit better, but this too is drinkable right now. (Of course, this also had an extra year in bottle.) This does have a drawback compared to its siblings, though—the oak treatment gives it an overlay of vanilla and a texture of cream. Still, between the aromatic fruit and the oak, this is just fun to smell. The fruit does poke its head up, by the way, and it tastes great, the finish laced with delectable cherries. This is in a crowd-pleasing style, exuberant and forward.”
— Wine Advocate, Dec 2020
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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 aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
500 - 550 Liters
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
6-8 months
Total SO2
118
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.6
Acidity:
5.4 g/L
Alcohol:
14.3 %
Total SO2
118
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.