Lyrarakis Vóila Assyrtiko Crete 2021

Lyrarakis Vóila Assyrtiko Crete 2021

In 1998 the local co-op in the far eastern side of Crete brought over a truckload of Assyrtiko cuttings from Santorini. On the high, windswept valley of Vóila, most were planted directly into the sandy soils, while others were grafted onto local rootstock. All are susceptible to phylloxera, but the sand so far has kept the aphid at bay.

The soils are based on limestone and are somewhat richer than Santorini’s meager volcanic ash soils, and the vine does well here, with its fruit ripening more slowly than on its native island thanks to Vóila’s 600-meter altitude. These are head-pruned vines, not irrigated, and hand-harved in the PDO (AOP in France) of Sitia, the name of the eastern providence, but not labeled as such because the grapes are made at the Lyrarakis winery outside of the appellation. It’s a wine with abundant character, and it’s pronounced a-cer-tee-ko.