Ktima Ligas, IGP Pella “Roditis Barrique” 6 bottle case 75cl
£219.99 £252.00
Superb natural wine from Greece, Roditis grape, unique flavours, rich, complex, full, lovely. The estate's new special Cru Roditis was born out of the natural evolution of a wine reborn in an oak barrel. The 2013 Roditis went to sleep a little, becoming unusual in flavour and aroma, complex but lacking freshness. Ligas understanding of the wine led to put the remaining 300 litres into an oak barrel for about a year with the lees of the 2014 vintage and the result is a stunning wine of immense complexity and also freshness rediscovered. That wine showed perhaps more than any we have tried how a natural wine evolves and changes hugely in its lifespan. It also shows how a little oxygen can actually bring a wine back to life rather than send it to its death. It takes a great wine maker to achieve these feats. The 2019 continues the quality although this is not experimenting, he intends to carry on with the wine albeit in similarly tiny quantity. The extremely cool label is a picture of Melina Mercurie, former Greek actress and minister of culture.
In 1985, Thomas Ligas began to study the local ecosystems, experimenting with viticulture and vinification, and seeking to
accentuate the distinctive qualities of his terroir. Thomas, Meli and Jason, father and children, work side by side to safeguard the health and maturity of their grapes, seeking an ideal balance between quality and quantity. This natural approach to viticulture preserves the original characteristics of the grape, as determined by the vineyard. They
only grow indigenous Greek varieties, some from the south like Assyrtiko, others nearly forgotten, like Kydonitsa and Limniona.
The first performance of the Euripides tragedy Bacchae took place in the Theatre of Dionysus, in Pella, in around 408BC. Bacchus (or Dionysus) was the ancient god of wine and joy, and so it’s fitting that Ktima Ligas is using the ancient techniques of this wine-producing region to bring both wine and joy to its customers today.
