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Wine Review – 2018 Domaine Gioulis Sofos

Domaine Gioulis' 2018 Sofos (The Wise One) red wine bottle, wine glass and pizza

The 2018 Sofos is a fabulous Greek blend (50% Agiorgitiko, 50% Cabernet) of outstanding value…

Name: Sofos – The Wise One

Vintage: 2018

Producer: Domaine Gioulis

Region/Country: Klimenti Corinth, Peloponnese, Greece

Grape Varietal(s): 50% Agiorgitiko and 50% Cabernet

Alcohol Level: 13%

Consumed: At home

Recommended By: Found it at the LCBO (local liquor board)

Cost: $19.95 CAD (at the LCBO)

For the more detailed wine review, read on…

Bottle Presentation

A classically Greek-looking appearance.

Appearance

Medium ruby.

Nose

Pronounced intensity nose, with sour red cherries, cranberries, cassis, graphite, cloves, allspice, blackcurrant leaf, violets, vanilla, toast/charring, menthol. It also served up some barnyard notes (a hint of Brett, perhaps?). We would consider this a youthful wine.

Palate

Dry, medium-bodied, with high acidity, medium and drying tannins, and medium alcohol. The wine had a medium(+) flavour intensity with notes of red cherry, sour strawberry, cranberry, tomato leaf, and cactus.

Finish

Very long, with enduring sour red fruit and tomato leaf flavours.

Overall Impressions

This 2018 Domaine Gioulis Sofos impressed us with its vibrant red fruit and high acidity. The decent balance, intensity, and complexity, as well as the excellent length, make this a very good wine.

We initially tried this red blend with our usual Friday night pizzas, a Calabrese pizza and a honey and goat cheese Margherita pizza. Despite the Sofos having medium alcohol (13% abv.), it punctuated the spicy character of the Calabrese pizza. Saying that, it paired beautifully with the Margherita pizza, as the red fruit became even more vibrant.

A quarter-bottle remained after our meal, so we removed the air and kept it in the fridge overnight. To our pleasant surprise, the wine paired even better with the blue cheese-covered filet mignon we grilled the following evening. Based on our two meals, we’d consider the 50-50 Agiorgitiko-Cabernet blend a highly versatile wine.

Because the nose and palate offer plenty of vibrant red fruit, you could certainly enjoy this wine now. If you can resist drinking it, you could probably cellar it for three to five years, at which point we’d expect to enjoy some tertiary notes, like leather, balsamic vinegar, toffee or caramel.

Ratings

Overall Rating: 93/100.

E-Wine rating: 5/5. All things being equal, given the tremendous value, we would buy a case of this wine to enjoy over the next five years.

Value: 5/5. Excellent value.

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