Reviving Santameriana at Sant’Or
I’ve been to the Peloponnese a couple times now, but have yet to make it as far north as Patras. Although I would really like to do so; particularly enjoying the wines from Achaia as I do. If I manage to make it, one winery I am sure to visit is Sant’Or.
Located only 30 km from Patras in the historic village Santameri, Sant’or sits at 600 meters in the foothills of the Scolis mountain. The winery takes its name from the ruins of Saint Or castle built by the Franks-Flemish in 1273 which dominate the mountain. Here the family behind Sant’Or organically farms Roditis, Agiorgitiko, Mavrodafni, and the local variety, which they have revived, Santameriana (Σανταμεριάνα).
A combination of phylloxera and the youth leaving Santameri in the 60s for the cities lead to the decline of this once dominate regional variety. Winery owner Panagiotis Dimitropoulos decided to revive the variety. He started with 10 vines that had been in the family vineyards since before he was even born. Now, his Santameriana vines number 4000 and take up 13 of the winery’s 40 acres. A white grape, Santameriana is a round grape with thin skins that grow on medium-sized bunches. As the grape ripen, their color ranges from green to straw and golden yellow.
Sant’Or Santameriana, 2020
Following Dimitropoulos’s biodynamic principles, his 100% Santameriana ferments on native yeasts and is unfiltered and unfined. Deep lemon in the glass with subtle streaks of green, the wine was much more brilliant than I would expect from a wine both unfiltered and unfined.
Popcorn, tarragon, Asian pear, yuzu, tangerine, and hawthorn blooms framed by fresh acidity that countered a weighty, slightly oily mouthfeel. And a mere 11.5% ABV!