2019 Monemvasia Winery - Kydonitsa Mature Laconia (750ml)

Monemvasia Winery Tsimbidi was founded in 1997 by George Tsimbidi in the coastal town of Monemvasia in Laconia, in the southeastern Peloponnese, with a clear mission to revive Malvasia wine at the very place that gave it its name. The Frankish traders of the Middle Ages named the famous style after this fortified port town, and for centuries the wine dominated global markets before production shifted elsewhere in Europe. Now run with his daughters Elli, Marialena, and Anastasia, the family estate farms roughly thirty hectares organically, focused on reviving rare indigenous varieties like Kydonitsa alongside the historic Monemvasia grape.

Kydonitsa is a thick-skinned, mid-ripening variety nearly forgotten before the Tsimbidis began working with it, and this Mature bottling is built around patience: fruit from the Platori vineyard is vinified with gentle extraction in neutral stainless steel, then aged for three years in bottle before release. That extended rest lets the naturally crisp, structured wine soften and gain complexity without any oak influence, a deliberate contrast to the winery's fresher, younger Kydonitsa bottling.

The wine pours a bright yellow with aromas of quince, citrus peel, and dried herbs, joined by a distinctive note of sourdough from its long bottle aging. The palate is full bodied, with crisp acidity balanced against a light tannic grip that carries into a lasting, savory finish. It pairs nicely with roasted white fish, aged sheep's milk cheeses, or dishes built around preserved lemon and herbs.