After orange wine, is edge the next thing? One never knows. I doubt it. By their very nature they are challenging and demanding wines. Some say that the world is full of smooth-tannined fruit bombs and there is a niche for such styles. This is a valid argument.

This review is about an estate en route from edge to modernity while maintaining its identity - a tightrope act worth following closely.

The Naoussa Protected Designation Of Origin (PDO) vineyard sits on numerous undulating foothills of Mount Vermion.

Ever heard of Mantemi? It lies due north and lower of the slope of Gastra. Walking it was illuminating: Topsoils are intriguing, with sandy clay and large green stones of an unidentified porous material. Different to Gastra's - and to everything else I have come across in this clutch of dispersive vineyards for that matter. It reminded me that there are several Naoussa sub-regions that are not really suitable for viticulture. Naoussa is not alone in this; such areas exist in much grander addresses. There are other crops, too, such as peaches and cherries.

So far Mantemi is a monopoly to Yiorgos Diamantakos, who has focused on wine, contrary to his tsipouro-distiller father Evangelos. Polishing up partly hidden terroir, Yiorgos has quietly produced a string of Naoussas since the 2006 vintage. They translate the vintages, albeit without clearly defining their name place yet, in a welcome development in the change of guard at Diamantakos.

Dark ruby. Slowly opens up to earth, sous bois. It then blossoms to strawberry scents. Cocoa. Depth. Tannins reminiscent of Renato Ratti's Nebbiolos, with increased volume, firework aromatics and an intense palate. "Sweet" strawberry and graphite on the bitter-almond, edgy, rich in glycerol finish. A highly strung thoroughbred. At this juncture, three hours of decanting, and all parts meet in harmony. Serve at cellar temperature. Best 2012-2018.

Time to debunk another, very modern Greek myth. In fact, this is one of the most annoying bits of disinformation in circulation: "Limnio was Aristotle's favourite wine."

Wow, thinks the unsuspecting gullible punter. It was a handy sound bite for scores of journos discovering Greek wine in the late 1990s. It was repeated ad nauseam. I doubted this as a cheap, opportunistic marketing gimmick. In the very small world of Greek wine it almost got as big as the Black Athena story. Thankfully, it did not come up during the NBC Television live overview of the Greek vineyard to mark the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Now, imagine Aristotle the philosopher on his peripatetic campus below today's Naoussa. Amongst his pupils from nearby Pella, a young prince, Alexander. Yes, the very one. Dusk, supper. What did they drink? Generous quantities of Limnio? Not so, says wine historian S. Kourakou-Dragona. She attributes this to a rear-label distortion of facts by a naughty consultant. "The only person linked to Limnia ampelos (the Limnos vine) is Polydeuces", she clarifies. Will get round to him in a forthcoming post.

Traveling on today's Via Egnatia motorway. Eastbound. Fog. Time to focus on my visit ahead to Kikones. It becomes impossible. Seasonal changes tease. The light is shades of sandstone, gold-grey hues. Lake upon lake to my right unfold, as do convoys of trucks. As I enter Maronia, the sun beaks, softly. The northern Aegean shimmers, platinum. Billowing smoke from fields becomes one with the lifting fog. As I turn off, I spot a solitary heron with his striking stance and hunter’s glance. Kikones, the winery, named after the warrior race that lived in this part of the world two millenia ago, comes into view.

Sister-brother team Melina and Vassilis Tassou are a breath of fresh air. Cosmopolitan, realists, conscientious stewards of the soil. They are pioneers in reviving wine and its culture in Greek Thrace. In the 1990s, their father, Apostolos, planted the first modern-day Maronian vineyards. There are several novel approaches that this switched-on, open-minded address has to show for itself. All wines have taken a quantum leap forward. Until now, most Limnio ended up in blends, mostly to conform to arcane legislation. This is now changing, however. Kikones offers not an over-cropped example. In all honesty, this is the first ever varietal of this now obscure grape of anecdotal acreage that translates such a clear picture. While I research Polydeuces and the Athonite monasteries, I enjoy this worthy newcomer’s breakthrough.

Mid-ruby. Elegant aromatics. Initial whiff of griottes (morello cherries). With aeration it opens up to maquis-botanic notes. Firm, tannic backbone, with tension on the savoury, long finish. Well-judged extraction and oak ageing. A stand-apart wine, brimming with character. Decant and "watch" it evolve over what can be a long dialogue. Instructive and enjoyable. Best 2012-2017.

Agiorgitiko is new to northern Greece: all of 12 years. Having in situ tasted current and forthcoming releases, the future looks bright. The cherry core present in Nemea is still there, enveloped by a tauter, less Mediterranean generosity. As seen in this review, it is capable to stand its ground as a varietal. However, the great surprise was some rather clever blends. There will be a series of postings. Four such wines in the rich 2010 and the pretty 2011 vintages are a step up. In fact, they take your breath away. Vassilis Tsaktsakrlis "listens" to his numerous vineyards. As vines with time increase complexity, he fine-tunes blends accordingly. In my recent visit, all wines were focused and articulate, subtle and effective. His gentle touch and use of cooperage is textbook. A consummate professional, he is a man of few words, with the smarts to keep away from politics. He is walking the vineyards most of the time. It shows. The 2008 was, again, not a uniform vintage, with regional variations swinging either way. In broad strokes, solid yet low on excitement. Certain mesoclimates and addresses achieved a touch of seriousness. There is no doubt of wines improving not something than can be said about label design. Even though there are improvements, the packaging of some of today's Greek wine is doing little justice to it's content. This label stands apart. At first glance it reminded me of  Spanish landscapes "leaping" from Miles Davis's Concierto de Aranjuez. The artist? Vassilis's daughter, Areti: She painted Harvest when she was seven. I can see her perky-faced shot framed in her dad's office. There is little doubt that the northern expressions of Agiorgitiko will continue to pleasantly surprise us. Beyond the senses, they tickle the intellect. Nemea is hedonistic, at this juncture Macedonia has added stature. Watch this space for more!

Purple rim. Dark, for this grape. Red berry fruit with gentle cocoa aroma. Layers of velvety tannins. Morello cherry follows up on a creamy intensity. Stony mineral on the richly-flavoured, fine-grained, dry finish. Serious stuff. Best 2012-2018.

Frankly, I never thought I would be writing these lines. In essence, this post has been in waiting for 17 years. What's it all about: The missing link in today's Greek wine has arrived.  I cannot wait to share my enthusiasm on this new entry.

In all of the fragmented Greek vineyard, it is landlocked Amyndeon that boasts of the most impressive diurnal temperature variations. Recent statistics only reinforce the comparative advantage of this cooler climate. For several reasons, it is ideal for sparkling wines.

Xinomavro is an endlessly fascinating grape. It is different in warmer Naoussa, where the aromatics are more Mediterranean (tomato vine comes to mind), and in Goumenissa, with its  discreet, spicy aroma - and these are just two out of several nearby sites where this leading cultivar is to be found. Furthermore, the Xinomavro-induced aromatic and palate intensity would be overpowering for a sparkling wine. The subtlety and freshness of Amyndeon wins hand down

What is admirable is that a relative newcomer, the Dutchman Laurence Hartman, found his way around this largely uncharted, nuanced Xinomavro terroir. Thanks to a thought-through approach and the precision required for a handcrafted Methode traditionelle, we are also seeing the more discreet  side of this, now booming, region. The choice of focusing on 40-year-old vines contributes to a restrained, polished profile.

This Blanc de noir is a revelation. It has been taught good manners. Yet, my gut feeling is that there is still so much more to learn and receive from this, now urbanized, strong-gene peasant. For this I what I can only liken it to due to the infinite guises and name places to which this grape is capable of morphing into. I urge you to search elsewhere on this site my chronicling of the new wave of Xinomavro and blends. If you like wines that speak to heart and mind, then you may have found a new soul mate.

To date, of the 12 wineries now operating in Amyndeon, Domaine Karanika has under its belt the most convincing effort in this under-invested category. Catch early this unfolding act and, pokerfaced, glass in hand, go ahead and surprise your friends. Serve it blind. As this going-places address grows, I expect new nuances to be introduced  to this, so far, all-black grape cuvee.  Perhaps some of the delectable 2011 vintage could undergo its secondary fermentation in magnums.

Beyond pleasure, further clues could be gleamed on the microclimate and the silt, sandy and limestone bedrock on which these vineyards sit. Laurence is a thinker; he plans ahead. Beyond a twinkle in his eye there is grit. It serves him well. This is an estate to watch. As I leave, his smiling wife Annette and a school of dogs see me off in the autumn afternoon mist. Heading west on the Egnatia Highway to under-revival Siatista for yet another Xinomavro "you-know-what".

Pink-grey hues. Fine, small, bead mousse. Yeasty. Subtle gunflint. Hint of strawberry. Finely defined tannins. Vibrant, tangy acid. Persistent "string of pearls" beads with no sign of going flat even after 15 minutes in a fluted glass. Neat and light-footed, elegant even. From the 2009 maiden vintage. Best 2012 - 2015.