2024 Lyrarakis - Dafni Crete Psardes (750ml)

Lyrarakis Wines was founded in 1966 by brothers Manolis and Sotiris Lyrarakis and is now run by the second generation, Bart, George, and Manolis, from the mountain village of Alagni in the Peza appellation of Heraklion, Crete. The family is best known for reviving the rare, nearly extinct indigenous grape Dafni, along with Plyto and Melissaki, restoring varieties that had all but disappeared from the island's vineyards. Their focus remains on native Cretan grapes grown at high altitude, farmed with an eye toward sustainability and organic practice.

Dafni takes its name from the Greek word for laurel, or bay leaf, a nod to the herbal aromatics the grape carries naturally. The fruit for this bottling comes from the family's Psarades vineyard, planted in the early 1990s at roughly 480 meters in central Crete, where clay and loam soils help preserve freshness. A small portion of the juice undergoes extended skin contact to round out the wine's acidity, while the rest ferments in stainless steel before aging on its lees for several months, yielding a wine near 12 percent alcohol.

The glass shows a bright, pale lemon hue with aromas of laurel and rosemary layered over citrus blossom, pine resin, and fresh pear. On the palate it turns savory and elegant, with lively acidity and a long, herbaceous finish. It pairs beautifully with seafood, roast poultry, herb-flecked salads, and traditional Cretan pies.