2024 Gaia Monograph Assyrtiko Peloponnese 6pk 6x750ml

Gaia Estate was established in 1994 by Leon Karatsalos and winemaker Yiannis Paraskevopoulos — pioneers of the modern Greek wine revolution. Their mission: capture the best of Greece's indigenous grapes by merging traditional methods with innovative technique. Named for 'Mother Earth' in honor of unique terroir, Gaia operates wineries in Santorini and Nemea, the two most important wine-growing regions in Greece.

Assyrtiko's origins trace to Santorini's volcanic soils, where it delivers mineral-driven, age-worthy whites. The Monograph bottling reveals what happens when you plant the variety in the semi-mountainous, calcareous soils of Koutsi, Nemea — a completely different character. The limestone opens up a wider range of exotic fruit and citrus, lighter and more approachable than the Santorini style, with the same bracing acidity that makes the grape a force.

Grapes are chilled in cooling chambers, de-stemmed, then cold-soaked for twelve hours at 10°C — a pre-fermentation extraction that amplifies Assyrtiko's varietal aromatics. Fermentation happens very cool, 16-17°C, to lock in freshness. The result is a youthful, intensely fruity wine with honeysuckle, citrus, and tropical fruit on the nose and bone-dry structure on the palate.

Brilliant light yellow in the glass. Delicate nose with perfumed honeysuckle, tropical fruits, and a hint of the sea. Bone-dry with bracing acidity, gently floral with apple and pineapple flavors and a mineral finish. Pull the cork tonight with fine seafood or drink it solo — this is what $26 gets you when the winemaker studied at Bordeaux and the fruit comes from calcareous hillsides.