Palivou Vineyards Nemea 2018

In the heart of the historic Ancient Nemea Valley in the Peloponesse is Palivou Vineyards owned by George Palivos and his wife, Angeliki. While the vineyards have been in the family for one hundred fifty years, winemaking in Nemea has existed for 3,500 years. The most famous grape variety of the Nemea region is Agiorgitiko (St. George) named after the first Bystantine Church built in the town. It is beautifully balanced red wine full of body and berry fruit flavors and tannins giving it a long finish. Nemea, the appellation, is required to be 100% Agiorgitiko with minimal aging of 12 months in oak. Although Agiorgitiko is the only appellation of Nemea, other indigenous varieties are planted, such as Alepou Roditis (White Fox). It is the most elegant of the Roditis clones yielding a crisp white wine with pronounced fruit flavors and creamy finish.

George Palivos’ philosophy as a wine maker is simple. He believes that the wine is made in the vineyard and not the winery. His is a labor of love. He pays particular attention to the terroir to yield high quality wine. The environment is perfect for making robust fruity wines with high acidity and are beautifully balanced. The vineyards are 1400-2133 feet above sea level in a mountainous region near the Bay of Corinth. The red chalky soil, the cool breeze of the Bay, and steep slopes yield the ideal conditions for the beautifl wines. Mr. Palivos states that he lets the vineyard make the wine fully respecting Mother Nature and the grapes that give us the must. He, of course, is humble. At harvest time, he and his family are the first to examine the grapes before hand picking. The vinification process is classic in his state of the art winery using stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels, specifically barriques.