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
“The 2019 Agiorgitiko was aged for six to eight months in used French oak, depending on lot, and comes in at 14.3% alcohol. A structured and impressive regular Agiorgitiko, this shows appealing mid-palate finesse to go with a lingering finish. The tannic pop on the finish would indicate this is not fully ready, but the tannins are not hard. This is easy to approach now. The velvety texture is sensual, and this is precisely focused. What's missing is the expression of fruit just now. This needs to open a bit more and show off more of that flavor for which the grape is famous. It has a pretty good chance to improve in that regard. Six to 12 months in the cellar could help it along, allowing it to show its stuff. In the meanwhile, it is fresh and graceful, a perfect food wine.”
— Wine Advocate, Sep 2022
SILVER

“Expressive with dark fruits, hints of charcoal and sweet spices. Hints of black cherry have created something altogether rather interesting here, particularly with the aid of a little toasty oak.”
— Decanter World Wine Awards, Jul 2021
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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
113
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.63
Acidity:
5.7 g/L
Alcohol:
14 %
Total SO2
113
Residual sugar:
2.5 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.