We don't think of Greece as the land of rock and roll, but Stergios Tatsis is a rocker. He wears a leather vest and ripped jeans. He has an extra finger on one hand, so... Read More

We don't think of Greece as the land of rock and roll, but Stergios Tatsis is a rocker. He wears a leather vest and ripped jeans. He has an extra finger on one hand, so everyone calls him "Six Fingers." Does the extra finger help with his winemaking? Probably not, but he sure makes great wine.

Domaine Tatsis isn't on some island of blue water and warm sunshine; Stergios works in the hills of Central Macedonia, a land with wild landscapes, limestone-rich soils, and truly ancient winemaking traditions. The noble grape here, Xinomavro, is often compared to Nebbiolo for its structure, acidity, aromas, and sheer nobility. Xinomavro translates as "acid black," which gives a pretty good sense of things. It would also be a great name for Stergios' band.

The Domaine is generations old, but belongs to a fairly new school of Greek producers that take farming, terroir, and non-interventionist winemaking seriously. Not only do Stergios and his brother, Pericles, farm organically and biodynamically, they plough the vineyards with a horse. Fermentations are all natural, and nothing is added to the wines, nor filtered out.

If you love Crete's Economou (and if you've tasted them, you surely do!), you need to try these wines. They walk a similar path, and like Economou, Tatsis releases some wines only after they've been aged at the winery. This is a wonderful thing: Xinomavro ages extraordinarily well, but it's almost impossible to find mature examples in this country