Le Tour Melas can lay claim to perhaps the best Rosés and Bordeaux-style blends being produced in Greece today, alongside a truly unique wine which is maybe the country’s most premium. This began as a passion project for Kyros Melas, who in 2000, planted vineyard at La Tour Melas just outside the village of Achinos in Central Greece, looking southwards over the Gulf of Evia. Inspired by the great red wines of Bordeaux and the pink wines of Provence, this site was decided as suitable for both after widespread soil analysis
The terroir of sloping terraces is composed of alluvial gravels of the Quaternary period and rises up to 200 meters above the sea level, just 2km from the sea itself. These gravels mainly consist of clays, sands, grits and limestone coastal conglomerates. The subsoil, more intricate and showing on the surface from place to place on the different rounded hilltops, is the reflection of a more ancient history of Greece with its marine sedimentary origins which were altered by fold plates. This subsoil comprises schist, siliceous deposits and marly limestone dating back to the Mesozoic era
Typically Mediterranean climate. Mild wet winters, with hot and dry summers. Low rainfall between 600 and 700 mm. The impact of the sea is very important as the breeze brings humidity and cools the vines during the day, whereas the rocky soil keeps the vines warm at night. The terraces are Northeast facing. All these elements combined offer an ideal micro-climate. Farming is organic with numerous biodynamic principles, pruning Guyot method, and thew vines planted to extremely high density of 10,000 plants / hectare- similar to the best producers in Burgundy and Bordeaux.
An ultra-modern gravity fed winery on 4 levels was constructed in 2006. State of the art destemmers and sorters prevent injury to the stems, while keeping the berries intact, allowing for an extended, three to four week-long maceration. Since 2012 La Tour Melas has been using open top 225 Litre barrels to ferment the wine; hugely labour intensive! . Oak barrels for aging are supplied by Seguin Moreau, Saury, Darnajou, and Taransaud. La Tour Melas has 90% new barrels every year.
A more recent project has highlighted old indigenous Greek varieties, including an extraordinary wine from 100 + year old ungrafted, "franc de pied" Agiorgitiko (pre Phylloxera) grapes from Nemea.
La Tour Melas Palies Rizes is a truly unique wine is made of 100% Agiorgitiko from ungrafted “Franc de Pied” vines of more than 100 years old grown on sandy, clay, limestone soil with pebbles. . Tiny yields of just 15 hl/ha. Wild yeast fermentation Vinification and malolactic fermentation 80% in inox tank, 20% in barrels, followed by ageing in Austrian oak barrels of 400l for 15 months.
A haunting, lifted aroma of raspberry, violets, bramble fruits, crushed rocks, cacao, thyme and rosemary. Finely balanced, poised red with beautifully constructed filigree tannins and fine acid balance, exceptionally long finish. Taut and restrained, but already delicious; this has years ahead of it and should be decanted at least a couple of hours ahead of serving
