Gentilini “Robola of Cephalonia”

cephalonia, greece |  2021

Kefalonia is one of the most captivating places on earth. The first time I visited the island, located in the Ionian Sea on the western side of Greece, I knew right away that I needed to return. Fast forward just one year later, and I was back, this time with my family to explore the island over a ten day period.

Kefalonia is a sparsely populated island, just around 40,000 yearly inhabitants, most of whom rely on tourism and agriculture for their livelihood. There are two sides to the island, the “main” side where the capital Argostoli is located, as well as the Paliki Peninsula.

When it comes to wine, Robola is the most noted grape variety of the island. This white grape is not the Ribolla that is known from Northeast Italy, rather its own indigenous grape, well suited to the slopes of Mount Ainos. 

One of the very best producers of the varietal, and a producer that I had the fortune to visit is Gentilini. Run by wife and husband team, Marianna Cosmetatos and Petros Markantonatos, Gentilini produces three different white wines made from Robola. The 2021 Gentilini Robola being offered today is the main wine of the winery, the one that really paints a classic picture of the varietal. 

Coming from vineyards on the slopes of Mount Ainos, at around 650 meters of elevation. The poor limestone and gravel soils, along with the dry weather conditions, produce very low yielding vines. As winemaker, Petros aims to preserve the freshness of the Robola variety, fermenting in stainless steel at cool temperatures, and aging on its lees for a month with some batonnage to increase the texture. 

The results are truly complex and delicious. Bright notes of lemon peel, orange and mineral can be found on the nose and the palate. This has beautiful texture, vibrant acidity, and a long finish. This is a natural for pairing with fish, and can stand up to everything from sashimi to grilled whole fish.