Community Tasting Note
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forceberry wrote: 94 points
January 21, 2022 - A naturalist Assyrtiko from Crete, aged for approximately 4 years before release. 13,5% alcohol.
Medium-deep, somewhat evolved burnished golden yellow color with faint greenish highlights. Rich, complex and subtly sweet-toned nose with layered aromas of rosin, some cloudberry, a little bit of leathery funk, light smoky nuances, a hint of bruised quince, a touch of beeswax and a red-toned whiff of cherry. The wine feels dry, concentrated and moderately wild on the palate with a rather full body and intense flavors of waxy funk and bretty leather, some resinous notes, a little bit of beeswax, light floral notes of honeysuckle, a hint of ripe cloudberry and a mineral touch of tangy salinity. The high acidity lends great intensity to the wine and keeps the rather substantial body of the wine nicely in check. The concentrated finish is long, powerful and acid-driven with intense flavors of leathery funk, some tangy saline notes, a little bit of smoky minerality, light fruity notes of cantaloupe and quince, a hint of beeswax and a bretty touch of Band-Aid.
A very powerful and complex Assyrtiko that is quite unlike its varietal peers from Santorini, but not one bit less impressive in style. The wine has an obviously funky, naturalist edge to it, yet it comes across as layered and intriguing, not "natty" or "weird". All in all, a very distinctive and idiosyncratic take on both Assyrtiko and Cretan wine that is very impressive already now, but most likely will continue to improve for at least a handful of years more. I can see why Yiannis Economou's wines can be so divisive and I can also see why he is considered a cult winemaker of Crete. The only wine I can think of that reminds me of this style is Art Space Assyrtiko from Santorini - both very unique in every way, although Art Space's wines are perhaps even more difficult to get your hands on. This was pretty pricey for a Cretan wine at 45€, but managed to deliver for the price, easily.2 people found this helpful 1,721 views
2 Comments
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wayfarer commented:
10/25/22, 1:42 PM - Curious how you would compare to Paolo Bea's Arboreus or Lapideus, if you've tasted them.
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forceberry commented:
10/25/22, 2:21 PM - I haven't, sorry.