Apostolos Thymiopoulos is one of Greece’s most talented winemakers and grape growers. His family has farmed in the village of Trilofos for generations, but Thymiopoulos was the first to vinify fruit from the family vineyards. Today, he owns 54 hectares and buys fruit from a further 150 hectares. Most of these vineyards are in Naoussa, and Thymiopoulos purchases only certified organic grapes. As he sees it, organic farming goes hand in hand with the low yields he considers essential for quality, since lower yields deliver riper fruit and above all, riper tannins. Patience is just as central to Thymiopoulous’ approach. Sugar levels don’t concern him. Instead, he waits for Xinomavro to reach full phenolic ripeness. For the past 15 years, he is typically among the last growers in Greece to harvest. Even so, his reds rarely exceed 14% alcohol. In the cellar, the reds may spend up to two months on their skins, but extraction stays gentle, closer to infusion. Thymiopoulus’ focus has always been the exploration of Xinomavro, a variety he sees as tied to this place in a way Merlot or Syrah never could be. The range includes a variety of compelling single-vineyard bottlings as well as larger-production cuvées for export.