Ktima Apostolidi Karapapas Palaiochori Red

Ktima Apostolidi’s story begins in 1958 when Efthymios Apostolidis planted the first vineyard in Dialekto Kavala, on the foothills of the Macedonian mountain basin, on the border with the river Nestos and Thrace. Lots of development was achieved over the years, and a new page was turned in 2007, when a visitable state-of-the-art winery with a 10 hectare area was established. In recent years the third generation of the winery, Vasiliki and Efthymios, took over the reins to the business. The winery started with new strict and qualitative goals with innovative methods in the vineyard and in the cellar. Today the 16 hectares of the family’s vineyards are cultivated in a biodynamic way.

For the team, wine is a sum of different components that need to be researched, discovered and linked together. Connected to nature, nature challenges them to adapt to it, to take risks to constantly improve quality. They aim at determination to try with persistence to discover nature and also themselves. Their ethos and belief is that if they want to bring out the liveliness, freshness and precision in our wines in the future, they need to understand the natural conditions and to tie the different ingredients with the greatest respect to the environment.

Production

100% Karapapas, actually a native Turkish grape called papazkarası roughly translates to “black bishop” or “black priest”.

Fermentation: 60% Stainless steel tank, 40% 500 litre oak barrels.

Aging: 7 months in oak barrels 90% old, 10% second fill.

Tasting Notes

The nose becomes somewhat darker, more cherry, sour cherry, wild rose, warm sandstone, a hint of undergrowth, all with Burgundian aspirations and affinity. This becomes particularly clear in the mouth, here it becomes red-fruity again, more playful. Blackberry, raspberry, nice canola spice underneath, some cloves and subtle liquorice. Supportive, lively, refined acidity.

Get this open to breathe and then pour with Thracian cheese clay pot “Pasazade” (baked veal with aubagine and mozzarella) or Pork rillettes.