Viticulturist Makis Mavridis and Winemaker Angelos Iatridis began growing grapes and making wine in Greece’s northwestern Amyndeon appellation, located in the region of Macedonia, back in 1997. The estate is positioned on a plateau at about 2,000 foot elevation, and the vineyards have a desirable northwestern sun exposure. Although the climate is cold, rainy and snowy in the winter, the summers are warm and dry, so the intense winter rains and snow actually work to keep the vines nourished all summer long. The soils in this region are comprised of sandy clay and farming is eco-friendly and sustainable. The vineyards are planted to several indigenous and international varietals. Mavridis decided to plant and work with both indigenous and international varietals so that he could showcase the best of both worlds, and to create unique wines with immense amount of character and personality—and with the 2010 Xinomavro, he and Iatridis have done just that. In the state-of-the-art gravity flow winery, winemaking techniques are delicate and fairly hands-off. For the 2010 Xinomavro, the grapes are de-stemmed but not crushed, then cold soaked with skin contact before fermentation on lees for eight months. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels (medium grain, white toast) for one year; it sees an additional year in bottle before release.