Kokotos Estate wines showcase a sense of place

Athens is one of the world's major cities with wine country nearby. Ktima Kokotos, a lovely estate surrounded by nature, is just 23 km north of Athens. When the winelover community held their 10th #Winelover Anniversary Celebrations in Greece June 10-13, 2022 we visited Kokotos Estate, a boutique family winery in Stamata, in East Attica. There we met up with Anne Kokotos. Kokotos is truly beautiful estate, which I was delighted to visit given I had tasted their wines on prior occasions. They produce amazing wines that showcase a sense of place. 

Kokotos Estate, Attica  © Spaswinefood

There were thousands of hectares of grapes planted in Attica, which was Greece’s most important wine-producing region at the turn of the 20th century. From the mid-1960’s onwards most of them disappeared, as the city expanded in all directions. The problem was further compounded by the fact that land ownership was divided into thousands of plots, leading to many grape growers to abandon viticulture altogether. Moreover, when the Athens airport relocated in 2001 to its current location in Spata, more than 1,800 hectares of vineyards were sacrificed in the process. However, fortunately this was offset by a decree ruling that all the surrounding land will remain farmland indefinitely. This saved a large part of Attica’s vineyards. 

Welcome to Kokotos Estate © Spaswinefood

Welcome to Kokotos Estate

This beautiful wine estate is located on the northern slopes of Mount Pendeli, where in ancient times the god of wine Dionysus was worshipped. Upon arrival we were greeted by Anne Kokotos who, along with her husband, George founded their winery in 1980's. After exchanging greetings we were off with Anne to explore the vineyards, and check out the wine cellar.

#Winelovers Explore Kokotos Estate © Spaswinefood

The estate’s seven hectares, are spread over a hilltop on the north eastern slopes of Mt Pendeli. From the hilltop there are views of the Attic basin, and on a clear day you can see as far as the island of Evia.

Kokotos Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood

We toured their organically farmed estate vineyard, which grows international varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer, and two Greek varieties: Assyrtiko and Savatiano. Kokotos Estate also produces wines from two other Greek grape varieties: Roditis and Agiorgitiko that they buy from selected grape growers. 

Touring Kokotos Estate © Spaswinefood

By the time we arrived back at the tasting room it was clear to me that Anne Kokotos brings not only passion but also, an expertise to wine production at their family winery. Clearly, the walls at the entrance to the tasting room highlighted the many awards for their wines however, there was one plaque that caught my attention. It was the recognition of Anne Kokotos as being the best sommelier in Europe in 2002.

Winelovers  Tasting Kokotos Estate Wines © Spaswinefood

Kokotos Estate Wines

The estate is known for its elegant and sophisticated wines. During the tasting we tasted the following wines:

Kokotos Estate Wines © Spaswinefood

Wine Tasting, Kokotos Estate © Spaswinefood

It is not surprising to me that Kokotos Estate produces wonderful wines given a world class sommelier founded her home here.

Earlier Kokotos Estate Wine Memories

Visiting Kokotos Estate and tasting their wines brought back earlier wine memories for me. I would like to note that my first introduction to Kokotos Estate wines at Cinque Wine Bar, Athens in 2016. The two wines (one white and one red) that I tasted were:

1. Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014 

Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014 © Spaswinefood

Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014 © Spaswinefood

This well made Savatiano was a wonderful first introduction to Kokotos Estate wines. Savatiano, the pre-dominant grape variety in Attica was well-known for its use in the making of Retsina. However, when Savatiano is a well made white wine, it has status in its own right. 

Kokotos Estate is known for wines produced from international grape varieties, such the red wine that I  tasted.

Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 © Spaswinefood

In fact the very day I was at Cinque Wine Bar two young women dropped by the wine bar. They ordered Kokotos Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I asked why they selected this specific wine. They said it was their favorite. After my first introduction I looked forward to sampling more Kokotos Estate wines. The opportunity arose on our last morning adventure, as part of the #Winelover 4th Anniversary celebrations in 2016, at the Museum of Wine in Pallini, just outside Athens. There we tasted wines from Attica producers who are members of the Wines of Athens Association. 

 Reflections, Museum of Wine, Pallini 2016 © Spaswinefood

Anna Aga was one of the winemakers pouring wines at this event for Kokotos Estate. In fact Anna was winemaker at Kokotos Estate at that time.

Anna, Pouring Kokotos Estate Wines © Spaswinefood

At this event I tasted the following Kokotos wines:

White Wines
1.   Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014

 Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014 © Spaswinefood

This was my second time tasting this wine. Since Savatiano is a new wine for me it was important to taste more than once.

2. Kokotos Estate, Agrimi 2015 

Kokotos Estate, Agrimi 2015  © Spaswinefood

This wine was made from Roditis 60% & Savatiano 40%.

3. Kokotos Estate, Perdika sto Ampli 2015

Kokotos Estate, Perdika sto Ampeli (Partridge in the Vines) 2015 © Spaswinefood

This wine was made from 100% Assyrtiko.

4. Kokotos Estate, Tris Tris Parades 2015

Kokotos Estate, Tris Tris Parades 2015 © Spaswinefood

Tris Tris Parades gets its name from a bird around the grape vines that eats the grapes. It makes a "Tris Tris" like sound. The wine was made from 60% Gewürztraminer and 40% Roditis.

5. Kokotos Estate, Chardonnay 2014 

Kokotos Estate, Chardonnay 2014 © Spaswinefood

Rose Wine
6. Kokotos Estate, Klefta Kissa 2014

Kokotos Estate, Klefta Kissa (Thieving Magpie) 2014© Spaswinefood

Klefta Kissa, a rose wine, was made from a blend of Merlot 70% and Cabernet Sauvignon 30%.

Red Wines
I did not have enough time to tasted all of the wines during the wine tasting. However, during lunch I managed to re-taste Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 and sample the 2012 vintage for the first time.

7. Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 & 2011

Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 & 2011 © Spaswinefood

Yes, lunch at the museum was a great opportunity to checkout more wines. This time with food.

Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 & & Klefta Kissa 2014 © Spaswinefood

 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 & Klefta Kissa 2014 © Spaswinefood

Based on my experiences you must try: their flawless Savatiano, their elegant Chardonnay, and the award-winning Kokotos Estate Red.

Kokotos Estate is where a world class sommelier, Anne Kokotos and her husband found their home. Given Kokotos Estate’s location (1) on rolling northern slopes of Mount Pendeli, a region which has been known for its wine production since antiquity; (2) within an hours drive from the centre of Athens, has contributed to the estate’s success; and in addition (3) their wines have received an impressive number of national and international awards. Those who have yet discover Kokotos Estate wines now is the time. It took me sometime since I first tasted their wines in 2016 at Cinque Wine Bar, Athens and the Wine Museum to visit the winery. Kokotos Estate wines are indeed wines that showcase a sense of place. I invite you to join me in my wine adventures in Greece at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood  on  Twitter and Facebook.  

Sharon

June 2022
Athens, Greece

© Spaswinefood

#Winelovers Visiting Kokotos Estate, 2022 © Spaswinefood

Kokotos Estate, Perdika sto Ampli, 2015 © Spaswinefood

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