Dalamara, Naoussa

Apostolis Thimiopoulos arranged for a visit at his friend Yiannis Dalamara in Naoussa. The Dalamara family has been involved in wine production since the 1840s. The winery today is still family-run and the production is totally organic. Yiannis and his wife Katerina, together with their son, live and breath their work in the vineyards. They also transformed part of their estate into a beautiful small wine museum, with old tools and barrels used and made by Yiannis' grandfather. The tasting and dining room is very cozy with a lot of attention to bring a rural setting alive. I had a lovely time there, tasting the wines, while Katerina used the open fire place to grill cheese, sausages and meats. Yiannis showed us a range of different vintages, including barrel samples, of his wines. The white is a blend of Malagousia, Assyrtico and Roditis. Yiannis produces an unoaked version, as well as a barrel fermented one. The wines were aromatic, textured and showed broad flavours. The oaked version just had a hint of oak, as Yiannis wishes to add a very carefully grafted different dimension to the wine. There are two red wines, first the Ampelonas Dalamara, a blend of 80% Xinomavro with 20% Merlot. The flagship wine is called Palaiokalias and is 100% Xinomavro. Both wines are very elegant in style and show full aromas of red berries. The Ampelonas had a very nice coffee and chocolate nose, being influenced by the Merlot blend. The Palaiokalias showed off magnificent pure fruit flavours. After 3 hours, Yiannis said that the 2006 Palaiokalias just had opened up completly. He is a big believer that Xinomavro needs a lot of time and air to bring out its best. In his view, it is wasted if drunk straight after being opened. The Dalamara winery is a serious producer and it is well worth seeking their wines out.