2024 Monemvasia Winery - Assyrtiko Laconia (750ml)

While the volcanic island of Santorini is rightfully famous for putting Assyrtiko on the global map, the grape behaves with an entirely different, incredibly charming personality when grown on the historic mainland. Monemvasia Winery, founded in 1997 by Yorgos and Elli Tsimbidi in the rugged hills of Laconia, is globally celebrated for rescuing extinct Peloponnese grape varieties. Today, their daughters Marialena and Anastasia helm the winemaking team, crafting exceptional coastal expressions that showcase the diversity of southern Greece.

Grown in the unyielding, sun-drenched terrain of southern Laconia, the winery's estate vineyards sit just five miles away from the Aegean Sea. These organically farmed vines are rooted in clay-loam soils layered over cold shale bedrock. While summer days are intense, the blocks are dynamically cooled by salty maritime drafts and northeastern meltemia winds.

By avoiding heavy oak and focusing on a six-month élevage (aging) on the fine lees in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, the Tsimbidi sisters have dialed in a textbook coastal white. The 2024 vintage captures Assyrtiko's legendary, driving power but rounds out its razor-sharp edges with the lush, fleshy stone fruit typical of the sunny Peloponnese peninsula.

Tasting Profile

• Aroma: Pure, bright, and intensely coastal. The wine pours a brilliant pale-to-medium yellow hue with shimmering greenish reflections. The nose bursts with an upscale, expressive bouquet of fresh Meyer lemon, pomelo pith, and yellow-fleshed peaches, beautifully layered with complex varietal nuances of sea spray, wet chamomile, fresh green herbs, and a smoky trace of crushed seashells and flint.

• Palate: Medium-to-full-bodied, dense, and snapping with energy. It floods the palate with a concentrated, succulent stream of tart nectarine, crunchy green apple, and pink grapefruit zest. The deliberate lees contact and light batonnage (stirring the yeast) lend a lovely, waxy mid-palate texture and a faint creaminess that balances the grape's powerful structure beautifully.

• Finish: Long, bone-dry, and intensely refreshing. It tapers off cleanly into a focused close with absolutely zero heavy or cloying traits. The ripe orchard fruit yields gracefully to a lip-smacking baseline of chalky mineral salinity and a subtle, pleasant phenolic bitterness that leaves the palate feeling completely revitalized.

Wine Specifications

Serving Tip: Treat this mainland Assyrtiko like a premium dry coastal white. Avoid serving it freezing cold, which will trap its gorgeous peach, beeswax, and herb aromatics. Aim for a slightly cool cellar temperature of 48–52°F and pour it into a standard tapered white wine glass or a wide-bowled Sauvignon Blanc glass to allow the mineral layers to gracefully uncoil.

Best Food Pairings

Thanks to its skyrocketing natural acidity, texturized mid-palate, and intense maritime salinity, this Assyrtiko acts like a fresh squeeze of lemon over your food, pairing beautifully with seafood, rich fats, and Mediterranean herbs:

• From the Sea: Freshly shucked raw oysters, grilled octopus drizzled with olive oil and lemon, pan-seared sea bass, or garlic-steamed mussels.

• Bistro Classics: Crispy fried calamari with a citrus aioli, spaghetti alla carbonara (the wine's high acidity cuts through the rich egg yolk and pork fat flawlessly), or pan-roasted trout.

• Fresh & Vegetarian: Grilled Mediterranean vegetables with a citrus-herb vinaigrette, a savory asparagus and goat cheese tart, or classic Greek salad with briny feta.

• Cheese Course: Sharp, salty feta, tangy young goat milk chèvre, or semi-hard cheeses like young Comté and Gruyère.