2019 Mylonas Assyrtiko Attiki Greece

Name: 2019 Mylonas Assyrtiko Attiki Greece
SKU: 1497467
Price: 14.99 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 92 (2 reviews)

92W&S

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Wine & Spirits

Reviewed August 2020

In the limestone soils of Keratea, far down the peninsula that extends south from Athens, Stamatis Mylonas farms 30 acres of vines in small patches dotted throughout the region’s warm, sunny hills. Most of it is savatiano, the region’s hallmark variety, but his assyrtiko has had 22 years now to set down roots. And it tastes like it: There’s the sun, in the wine’s sweet white-fruit flavors, as well as the scent of the wild thyme and scrub that scratch out a living in the vineyard’s stony soils. And in the distance, there’s the shimmer of the sea, caught in a whiff of salinity that draws the wine to a clean, refreshing close. Hand-picked, macerated for eight hours before fermentation in stainless-steel tanks, and with three months on its lees, it’s a clean, clear version of assyrtiko with character.

Staff Reviews

Keith Mabry

K&L Buyer

We have hit a string of stunning Assyrtikos in recent months. The top dogs from Santorini beguile but they do often come at a hefty price. We have started turning our eye to the mainland to find equally engaging but maybe not as well known producers. Even though the Santorini seaside character is not on center stage here, the Mylonas more than makes up for it in crunchy minerality. Here the soils are limestone as opposed to the volcanic soils of Santorini. This gives crisp pear notes, lemon curd and white flowers. The character of Assyrtiko shines through, even if grown in a new place and in the hands of Mylonas, it sings with something new yet familiar.

Notes

The history of Mylonas Winery goes back a century and has been passed down from father-to-son for three generations. Now run by the Mylonas brothers - Antonis, Tasos and Stamatis - they work with local grapes and experiment with new varieties in this emerging region. In this part of Attica, Savatiano is actually the most famous grape. But this is something a little different. Before Santorini was recognized as a world class wine production site, mainland winemakers were buying grapes from Santorini to bulk up their production, Stamatis Mylonas found some Assyrtiko grapes mixed in with the red grapes he was using to produce his rose. He loved the grapes and journeyed to Santorini to acquire some vine cuttings. The vines, now over 20 years of age, are grown on the region's limestone soils. The Assyrtiko is hand-harvested, fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and spends about three months on the lees. This expression of Assyrtiko calls to mind the wines of Santorini but at a much more inviting price.

Details

Origin	Greece
Type/Varietal	Other White Wines
SKU	1497467