The Tatsis family had originally resided in Ano Vodeno, an area in Eastern Romylia, what is presently in the Thracian Valley of Turkey, along the border with Bulgaria. In 1924, as the Ottoman Empire was disbanding, Greeks and Turks residing outside of the boundaries of their home country, were returned by force. The Tatsis family had been in a homogenously Greek area. They had been grape growers and wine makers as long as anyone could recall. Upon moving to modern Greece, they settled in the Macedonian region of Goumenissa. This was an area that was already replete with vines, and the culture of wine production that the Tatsis family was accustomed to. They began with 4 hectares on the hill of Limbaskerit and Gerakona. By the time current owners Perilis and Stergios took over from their father, this had grown to 14 hectares. Their first vintage was in 1996. Presently, they are certified organic and functioning largely biodynamic. They were part of a small, growing movement beginning in the 1990’s of what we now call natural winemakers.  While much of Greece embraced modern excesses in wine production (new oak, commercial yeasts, et cetera.) Tatsis and their peers were chose to use indigenous yeasts, work with ancient, native varieties, and practiced long elevage, the practice of waiting to release wine, until it is deemed ready to drink. 

Today, they’re holdings are around 72 hectares in limestone, calcareous, and sandy loam.  A new facility was built in 2007. Production continues to average around 5,000 cases. They grow Xinomavro, Negoska, andLimnio for reds. For whites, they grow Roditis, Assyrtiko, Malagouzia, and Chardonnay. Of these, Xinomavro and Negoska PDO wines make up 80% of the production.

Their stated philosophy is as follows:

“Our friction with the vine started at a very young age and our love for it grew with us. Having love and respect for the vine as a basic principle, we give a special basis to its cultivation. The cultivation method we have chosen is the same as the one our grandparents taught us. Organic and then biodynamic cultivation arose because it was philosophically in line with us and our beliefs. Interventions in the vineyard are minimal and care is taken daily. Since 2002 we have been striving to achieve stress-free vines with healthy fruit. In essence, we are fellow travelers in our vineyards with open eyes and ears and help them where there is a real need.”

Xiropotamos

This is a white Xinomavro, a blanc de noir, a white wine made from a red grape. Xinomavro is a black grape, making intense, big, leathery wines when made red. As a white, Xinomavro’s naturally high acidity drives the bus. As an unfined, unfiltered wine, it can be a bit wild and tempestuous. The vines are at an altitude between 250 and 300 meters, in sloping clay and sandy loam.  The wine is destemmed, and after vinification, the wine rests on the lees for about a year in stainless steel. It is clean and vibrant, with unique hews of tropical fruits, as well as clear, purple notes, for lack of a better describer.

Alepou

This is 100% Roditis, a very versatile and often neutral variety, which is often a workhorse. Despite this, it is capable of high complexity, as the minerality inherent in Roditis is fairly significant. Alepou is destemmed and cold soaked for 24 hours at low temperature, prior to fermentation with natural yeasts. The wine rests on the lees for six months, adding a round and elegant mouthfeel, to a zesty, mineral-driven wine. This is a truly unique wine, offering a unique expression of this common grape.

Barrel Aged Rosé

This is 100% Negoska, grown at altitudes between 250 and 300 meters on sloping, clay and sandy loam soils. The grapes are destemmed, and fermentation occurs with native yeast, under controlled temperatures, adding nothing to the wine. It remains in barrel for 12 months. It is bottled without filtration. This is a fleshier rosé, from a semi-continental climate. It is a wine for the table. The acid is ample, supporting deep red to purple notes and no end of exotic non-fruit notes.

Limnio

This is 100% Limnio grown at altitudes between 250 and 400 meters, in sloping, clay and sandy loam soils. The grapes are destemmed, and vinfication is classic and natural. This wine is aged six to eight months in barrel. Limnio is an ancient variety, a sort of conduit between today and ancient Greece, having been referenced by the likes of Homer. Limnio is not unlike Pinot Noir in many aspects; red fruit, aromatic, herbaceous. It typically does not have the potential for Pinot’s higher acid. Additionally it differs in it’s more profound tannic structure, albeit an elegant one, and the higher levels of alcohol. That said, particularly relative to the boldness of the cuisines of mountainous Greece, it’s function on the table, is similar to Pinot Noir.

Goumenissa

This is a 50/50 blend of Xinomavro and Negoska, grown at altitudes between 250 and 400 meters on sloping, clay and sandy loam soils. The two varieties are vinified and aged independently, using classic red fermentation methods, including the use of native yeasts, and without any additional additives. Blending occurs prior to bottling. Negoska is drived from Negush, the acient name for the city of Naoussa, the wine capital of Macedonia. Negoska is a dark, fruity grape, offering moderate amounts of acid and tannins. It’s characteristics parallel its colleague, Xinomavro, in enough ways, that it truly acts to temper the latter’s intensities. Goumenissa screams of terroir, place, and indeed the history of this ancient region. It is bold and earthy, wild, uninhibited, almost feral.

Tatsis Xinomavro

This is perhaps the flagship wine. Again, these are grapes frown between 350 and 400 meters above sea level, on sloping, clay and sandy loam soils. The grapes are destemmed, and again, classic fermentation with native yeasts and no additives are employed. The wine is aged in 500L American oak barrels for twelve months. Here is classic Xinomavro, deep purple to black fruit hews, hints of black licorice, notes of cocoa and cola, suspended on a fresh pillar of acid, comingled with ample, yet balanced alcohol. Even as earthy, leathery, and intense as this wine is, it is unmistakably versatile, thanks to the high acid, inherent in the grape, and further exploited by the high altitude and significant diurnal shift of the microclimate.