2013 Ktima Driopi Agiorgitiko Reserve Nemea 750 ml

Celebrating Saison’s 3 Michelin Stars with Parker’s Greek “Fantastic Bargain”

We were headed up Spring Mountain when the text came in: “Celebration 2night @ Saison-11pm.” It was from our friend Mark Bright, the sommelier/owner of Saison in San Francisco. The world-class restaurant had just been awarded its third Michelin star. “Worth a special journey?” You bet. We were exhausted after a day of visiting wineries, but this was a celebration not to be missed.

When we arrived, the festivities were in full swing. Saison has been called “California’s Most Expensive Restaurant.” Now it’s part of an exclusive club with only 115 members around the world. We found Mark just as he was sabering a magnum of Krug Collection; Zalto flutes somehow materialized in our hands. We’d say it was a party to remember if we remembered it better after that.

One thing we’ll never forget from that night was the overstocked wine table. The food was sensational, of course — white sturgeon caviar, abalone on the half-shell, wood smoked trout — but the open bottles of wine dropped our jaws to the floor. Cristal Rosé, Raveneau Chablis, Roumier Chambolle-Musigny, and more — there must have been 50 open bottles, all for the tasting.

Even in that powerhouse lineup, even in that chaotic scene, one bottle of red caught our attention and wouldn’t let go. We poured, adored, and poured some more. We were dazzled by the beauty of this wine. We snapped a photo of the striking silver and black label and started our research the next morning. Late morning.

The 2013 Driopi Nemea Reserve was made by Yiannis Tselepos, considered by many to be the greatest winemaker in Greece. Born on the island of Cyprus, Yiannis moved to France in the mid-’70s to study winemaking at the University of Dijon under the expert tutelage of famed Burgundian winemaker/professor René Engel. Most of his vineyards are in the Peloponnese but he also dabbles a bit on the island of Santorini. Tselepos is known for terroir-driven wines that speak of place of origin rather than high alcohol and extraction, wines that make their way onto the wine lists of the world’s finest restaurants.

Yiannis’s source for the 2013 Nemea Reserve is a 21-acre vineyard comprised of limestone and clay soil almost 1,250 feet above sea level in the village of Koutsi. His rigorous cultivation of his low-yielding old vines much explains the longevity and concentration of the Reserve.

The 2013 Driopi Nemea Reserve is 100% Agiorgitiko from the Peloponnese region of Greece. Mark called Agiorgitiko “a crowd-pleaser type grape, very aromatic and flavorful. It is a bit like a cross between warmer-climate Pinot Noir and Gamay.” No wonder Mark found a place for it on Saison SF’s star-studded wine list. The nose was full of deep black fruits, dried Bing cherries and allspice. The palate was supple and silky, textured with concentrated flavors of blackberry, cherry with a high-toned, spicy finish.

In a 93-point RAVE, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called the 2013 Driopi Nemea Reserve “a fantastic bargain” with a “Burgundian feel”. Only 100 cases made it stateside. After Saison SF, WineAccess came first, and we were able to pry 600 bottles loose. This has a flavor profile and complexity level on par with Premier Cru Red Burgundy, but it’s not $100 or more — it’s $31. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.