Kir-Yianni Akakies 2024

Grape: Xinomavro 

Region: Amyndeon, Greece

Farming: Sustainable

Kir-Yianni was founded in 1997 by its namesake, Yiannis Boutaris, a towering figure in Greek wine (and, until recently, mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city). Based in Naoussa, its vineyards spread from Naoussa over to Amyndeon, on the western side of Mount Vermion in Greece’s far northwest. At the time Yiannis Boutaris struck out on his own, he was leaving his family’s Boutari Wine Group (founded 1879) in order to focus on a much smaller, quality-focused personal project. Today, the Kir-Yianni team, under the direction of Stelios Boutaris, Yiannis’ son, stands as one of the great producers not just in the northwest, but in all of Greece, and a leading exponent of the increasingly prized Xinomavro variety. From selected parcels of Xinomavro at Agios Panteleimonas in Amyndeon, within the homonymous PDO region in Northern Greece, with the distinctive poor sandy soils and the altitude of over 600 meters above sea level. At the cooler wine region of Greece with the unique meso-climate, Xinomavro finds a heartland to display its power but most importantly its elegance. 100% Xinomavro sourced from Amyndeon, across the mountains from Kir-Yianni’s home base of Naoussa and a historical source for high-acid grapes for rosé. This is fermented to an irresistible 17 grams or so per liter of residual sugar before a Charmat-method secondary fermentation that comes out to a creamy 3.5 atmospheres of pressure.