Bucephale Xinomavro Ktima Ligas 2018

Bucephale Ktima Ligas, 100% Xinomavro, new vintage, natural wine, rich, deep, savoury and delicious red for meat dishes. 100% Xinomavro, Bucephale is a wine made only when the weather conditions make for perfect fruit. This is much more serious red wine than the Xi-Ro blended wine and the tannins and structure of the grape make for long ageing. There is more depth and body in Bucephale. The flavours are richer, deep, with notes of black olive, dried tomato, red and black fruits with very good acidity and a long finish. Superb natural red wine, try with slow roast shoulder of Pork! Very low sulphite at just 25mg/l! This is the new vintage and the first we have had since the magnificent 2007. This wine is from a vineyard that has now been organic for a long time and the wine making – or indeed lack of it – seems to be getting better and better at Ligas as every new wine coming out of the place is simply superb. This new Bucephale is drinking beautifully and is softer and more elegant than the 2007 and of course is still a baby. It will reward long ageing but buy 6 and try one now as it is delicious. As usual, production was limited so it will go quick.

Since ancient times, the region of Pella in the Peloponnese, situated in northern Greece, was associated with wine making and described as the mother of wine, where vines abound.

Jason Ligas and his Sister Meli continued the work of their Father Thomas and set about turning the normally dull Roditis grape into something very special. By converting to natural farming in the 80s after following the ideas set out by a renowned Japanese Masanobu Fukuoka (1913-2008) whose approach to agriculture was called, ‘do nothing'. Fukuoka – whose philosophy has been described as ‘Steiner without cow horns’ – was a Japanese researcher in plant pathology who subsequently became an experimental farmer and promoter of natural farming. At Ligas by reducing the yield he was able to express the terroir and show the potential of their indigenous grapes that are normally over cropped and used for cheap jug wine. The soils are loamy, sand with very good drainage and the natural environment is expressed in his stunningly fresh and complex white wines. The reds are pretty rare and only made in good years but are also wines to be savoured. The wines all carry a unique personality and expressive aroma which we have come to call 'The Ligas Nose!'