Frivolous? No, life-affirming!

Regular readers know that I am abstemious when I need to be but indulgent when not, and this goes back to a family tradition dating back at least a century and a half, but probably much longer. To put it bluntly, my lot liked their drink when the occasion was right, which it seemed to be more often than not, and I'm afraid I have not fallen that far from the tree. But I am a discerning, selective drinker honouring my ancestors and their taste in the best possible way.

You may think me frivolous for posting about wine in the aftermath of a tragedy such as the Greek wildfire debacle; from a certain point of view that I obviously do not share you may even be deemed to be right. Drink is not a trivial thing, though, and must not be taken as such, so that my latest escapade into the tasting world must not be mistaken for frivolity. My friend YT and his wife MT hosted a simple celebration of life for me and our mutual friends A. and L. so we could all share things that are wonderful, fleeting yet life-affirming at the same time.

In order to attend I had to fight my way on a ferry and a couple of buses, but the lure was strong - the first wine was to be a 1996 Champagne from Gimonnet from a magnum. If you know anything about wine, and sparkling wine at that, you will know that a 1996 champagne from a top producer in magnum form is as good as it gets, something that mere mortals just read about in magazines and dream of, so I was not going to miss out on that. All other wines were a bonus, a quite substantial one, as it turned out.

The champagne was exquisite, young and delicate but full of flavour, biscuity and complex, long and ethereal at the same time - it does not get much better than this! If all you've ever had is stuff at weddings or functions, unripe acidic and/or inexpensive bottles you are unfortunate and owe it to yourself to try the real thing at least once in your life. Expensive it may be but it is worth every penny.
The next wine, a Sauvignon Blanc from Domaine Alexandre Bain (Mademoiselle M 2014) was untypical and unusual, as he is part of the new wave of winemakers seeking purity, authenticity and a strong expression of their terroir all  reinforced by biodynamic viticulture. Though the wine is made in the Pouilly Fume area it is denied the appellation controlee status and is simply a Vin de France, an interesting wine that I would need to taste again before I was certain that I would feel like  regularly drinking it for pleasure. It was so different that I would never have picked it out as a Sauvignon Blanc, whose characteristics are usually so easy to spot...
Chateau Carras 1993 was stupendous, young and fresh yet ripe, and I would urge anyone who can to buy what stocks they can get their hands on now. The nose was powerful with herbs, especially oregano and incense, the colour dark and the taste dense and complex; the ripe red fruit was more stewed than fresh, the taste long and enticing. This is a gem of a wine from the Carras family period, still vigorous, and not commanding the premium that its class deserves.
We tried an Asyrtiko 2017 from Milos, one of the Cycladic islands, produced perhaps in order to replicate the success of the Santorini wines by introducing another interesting terroir. While there may be a golden future ahead of such wines my immediate reaction was one of studied indifference, as it seemed - though well-made - to lack any huge signs of personality, or the special 'zing' that makes the Santorini wines unusual.
And when all seemed lost or just indifferent we had a glass of a distillate made from the Liatiko grape and barrel-aged for quite some time, from the amazing mr. Economou in Crete, whose every product is a unique experience in the glass, though not necessarily easy to drink or to everyone's taste. I can tell you little other than it was lightly orange/pink, bursting with flavour in many levels and was life affirming in every way. To blab further about Economou and his wines, he is a curiosity that does credit to the best of Greece and its winemakers, full of honesty, integrity and tradition, producing wines bizarre and stunning in equal measure... Love it! But before you get too excited and rush out to buy the distillate be warned: it is emphatically NOT for sale, but is only offered to friends.

I wish I could claim we stayed drinking these jewels well into the night, but we are no longer young. so we were on our way home by 10:30 at night, replete, happy and ready for  bed. Tomorrow morning we will surely reflect on what lucky little devils we are.