Bosinakis Mantineia Moschofilero
Some time ago, I wrote a little compilation of Moschofilero tasting notes. My great friend Anna Maria of Unravelling Wine not so subtly commented that I hadn’t been drinking the best Moschofilero and suggested I try Troupis Fteri (which I had) and Bosinakis. And when Unravelling Wine tells you to do something, you do it!
Bosinakis Winery – Οινοποιία Μποσινάκης
Bosinakis Winery is run by the young Sotiris and Katerina Bosinakis. The couple has produced wine since 1992 but it wasn’t until 2009 that they entered the bottled wine industry. Still producing at boutique levels, today their PDO Mantineia is one of the most popular Moschofileros on the market.
The couple’s vineyards sit on the Mantineia plateau at about 600 meters above sea level. Moschofilero thrives here in the sandy soils until harvest which usually takes place in September or even into October. Sotiris makes the wine, preferring to allow nature and the grape to guide him.
Mantineia PDO = Moschofilero
A quick little primer on the Mantineia PDO…
While other grapes do grow here (and are bottled under different PGIs), Moschofilero is the star. The area lies almost smack in the middle of Peloponnese, just south of Nemea. And while the ancient city of Mantineia gave the PDO its name, in the modern world, it lies in the administrative region of Tripoli.
Wines labeled with the designation must contain at least 85% Moschofilero. While many wineries bottle 100% wines, the allowed blending partner here is Asproudes, an interesting variety in its own right about which I’ve written before.
Bosinakis Mantineia, 2020
Bosinakis Mantineia underwent a 6-hour extraction process at low temperatures then fermented in stainless steel tanks at 13-15ºC. It ages in the tanks for a very short period of time prior to filtering and bottling.
Suuuuper pale peach – reminder that this is a pink grape. An aromatic pink grape no less. An exotic cocktail of fruit and flowers exploded from the glass. Loquat and lychee syrup mingled with grapefruit and decorated with plumeria petals. The palate presented a stronger citrus character with a kiss of the loquat before transitioning to a floral finish; all kept bright and fresh by nice acidity.
Very happy Anna Maria sent me this recommendation! Will be drinking it again for sure.