Gaia Wild Ferment Assyrtiko 2019

The aromas are clean and citric, with a spin of crushed herbs and sea salt. On the palate, the wine is both complex and refreshing, with lemon-lime, saline and spice flavors dancing on the tongue. The finish is a combination of matchstick smoke and citrus.

100% Assyrtiko. A whiff of white nectarine with a gunflint minerality and hint of spice. Lemony freshness, grapefruit and hints of wild flowers. Bone dry, with more peach and white plum characters on the palate and a softness on the acidity. Fresh and moderately aromatic; a pleasing alternative to a grand cru Chablis.

The 2018 Assyrtiko Wild Ferment was 50% aged in stainless steel, with the other half in a combination of acacia, French and American oak for four months. The wine comes in at 13.5% alcohol. Always a touch flinty and alternating between various wood nuances, this is a wine that you like or you leave in terms of flavor profile. It's not exactly your typical Assyrtiko. That said, it has beautiful structure, good concentration and a gripping finish with fine acidity on display. It's simply penetrating on the finish. This is very much a food wine—do not even think of using this as a simple sipper.

Don’t let the initial wood scents put you off: Give this time in the glass and they fade away, replaced by a cloud of leesy savour. It’s hard to pin down any specific flavors—it’s lemon one moment, cedar the next, with wheat berries, stone, salt and dried grasses swirling by—but it lasts, complex and intriguing. Play the wood notes off of grilled fish or mushrooms, with a squeeze of lemon.