2022 Avaton, Gerovassiliou

Midnight Aegean

Dark, perfumed and beautifully composed, Avaton is one of those wines that feels both exotic and polished from the very first swirl. This luscious blend of Limnio, Mavrotragano and Mavroudi opens with ripe black plum, dark berries and a touch of raisin, before unfolding into notes of coffee bean, cacao and sweet spice. There is an inviting richness here, but it is never overdone. Instead, the wine moves with a smooth, medium-bodied grace, balancing its generous dark fruit with a savoury, gently bitter edge that keeps everything focused. The palate brings that lovely interplay of sweet and sour black plum, layered with spice and polished texture, before tapering into a dry, refined finish. Aged for 15 months in oak after fermentation in open oak casks, it feels warm, expressive and quietly distinctive.

For when: the lights are low, the food is slow-cooked, and the bottle needs a little intrigue.
Pairs with: lamb, aubergine dishes, slow-braised beef, or hard cheeses with a touch of age.
If this wine were a place: a warm hillside above the Aegean at dusk, where the air carries spice, sea breeze and the promise of dinner.

Ktima Gerovassiliou is one of Greece’s benchmark estates, based in Epanomi, where a single 74-hectare vineyard sits close to the sea and benefits from a Mediterranean climate shaped by cooling breezes and fossil-rich sandy soils. The estate is known for combining meticulous vineyard work with a deep curiosity for both indigenous and international grapes, and Avaton captures that philosophy beautifully. By building the wine around native Greek varieties and giving them careful élevage, Gerovassiliou creates a red that feels rooted in place, but refined enough to appeal far beyond it.