| Country: | Greece |
| Region: | Crete |
| Winery: | Lyrarakis Estate |
| Grape Type: | Assyrtiko |
| Vintage: | 2018 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Alejandro Bulgheroni Lithology Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
From a St. Helena vineyard planted by early Napa settler Edward Bale more than 150 years ago, and later serving as the estate vineyard for the area’s first winery built by Henry Pellet in 1860, the Las Piedras site always gives us our prettiest wine. When placed next to Dr. Crane and To-Kalon wines, the Las Piedras show a certain elegance, with a very graceful entry and finely detailed complexity. We produce it with at least 75% new French oak, so there is a floral, spicy, and vanilla accent to the intense red and black fruits, cassis, and black cherry liqueur. What distinguishes this bottling is the beautifully fine tannins, delicate texture, and stunning purity. (Less than 100 cases made.)
Fermentation 70% Oak, 24% Concrete, 6% Puncheon
Review:
-Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
Argot Chardonnay Sonoma County is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pouring a green-tinted gold, our Sonoma County Chardonnay is a beautiful wine from word go. Radiating from within, a blast of apple/pear fruit informs this wine both aromatically, and on the palate. As flavors unfurl, a progression of orange blossom, pineapple, white peach, and hazlenut are followed by a finish dominated by ginger, baked apple, with a trailing kiss of mint’s freshness. A stunning wine — wholly informed by the perfection of 2018’s growing season — defined by its dichotomy of massively intense flavors, and superb acidity and freshness.
Raised by minimalistic methods, often associated with the classic Chardonnay winemaking techniques of Meursault. With a focus on the coolest Chardonnay region in Sonoma County, 2018’s long, even growing season favored our vineyards’ moderate climate, old vines and deep volcanic soils. These grapes were allowed an extended ripening period on the vine, resulting in perfect balance and concentrated flavors.
Avennia Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Red Willow Cabernet is a true blockbuster.
Coming from one specific block of 30 year old vines at this iconic vineyard, then strictly barrel selected, this is the essence of powerful, old vine Washington Cabernet. After all of our efforts promoting the idea of the Bordeaux blend, it would take a pretty compelling argument to suspend that idea and make a 100% varietal Cabernet. In 2016 Red Willow provided us with just that. Each time we tasted it in the barrel, the belief grew that this was something special. Something we can't make every year. In the end we were won over, and decided to make a limited amount of this wine. But don't be fooled, as this too is a blend and a selection. Each year as we are tasting the grapes as harvest approaches, we notice that the vines near the bottom of this long, steep west-facing slope, are a little different. The vines at the bottom are in a little richer soil, and get a little more water, so we pick them separately, sometimes even a week or ten days apart, and keep them separate in barrel.
This wine is all from the top of the vineyard, with its lower yield and poorer soils giving more concentration and interest. Then further, nearly every combination of new and used French oak barrels were trialed to find the best blend. It's not enough just to use the four best barrels, but to trial each combination to see how they complement each other. For a wine with this much mass, 100% new French oak was used for the first time at Avennia. It is a wine that needs a little cellaring to start, but should last a very long time.
Review:
-Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
Enemigo El Enemigo Gran Enemigo is made from 100% Cabernet Franc.
In the spectrum of people who pay attention to detail, winemakers are often incredibly detail-oriented. This can sometimes spill over to become an internal battled, and, as Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena state, "We are our own worst enemy." El Enemigo pays homage to this internal struggle.
The nose presents sweet aromas of black ripen fruits with hints of vanilla and chocolate, which appear after the oak ageing. The mouthfeel is sweet with structured, persistent tannins due to the natural acidity of this wine, leading into an excellent long finish.
Review:
-Wine Advocate 97 Points
-Decanter 97 Points
Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2018 is made from 100% Sangiovese.
Founded in 1971 by Giovanni Neri and today led by his son Giacomo, Casanova di Neri is one of Montalcino's most acclaimed estates, farming a mosaic of vineyards across the appellation. Tenuta Nuova is their benchmark cru bottling — richly styled yet precise, and long regarded as one of Brunello's reference wines.
Brunello di Montalcino is made entirely from Sangiovese grown on the hills around the town of Montalcino in southern Tuscany, and aged for years before release. The Tenuta Nuova fruit comes from the warmer south-eastern side of the DOCG; the cooler, classically proportioned 2018 vintage yielded balanced, aromatic wines with fine, chewy tannins.
Review:
Elegant and perfumed nose of dried roses, violets, lemon zest, slate, cherries, aniseed and truffles. Very fine, tight and precise tannins. Medium to full body. I like the floral and saline undertones. So precise and fresh with a tight finish. Crushed stones at the end. Try in 2025, but already attractive to taste and drink.
James Suckling, 96 points
Review:
-Falstaff 98 Points
-Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
-The Wine Independent 96 Points
-Robert Parker The Wine Advocate 95 Points
Chateau Talbot Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classe is made from 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 5 % Petit Verdot.
The wine presents a delicate and captivating nose of black fruits, fresh tobacco, peppermint and floral nuances. Ripe and juicy fruit flavors of black currants on the palate with well integrated velvety tannins and a beautiful refreshing acidity to the long finish.
For the 2018 vintage, a special packaging with a unique silkscreen printing bottle was created to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cordier Family's acquisition of Chateau Talbot
Pair with red meat, roast pork, game meat, poultry, hard cheeses, poached pear.
"Rich aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, chocolate, tobacco and licorice. Oyster shell, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, well integrated tannins. Polished, silky layers with a long finish. Gorgeous ripe and bright fruit in the center palate. Best in a long time. Try from 2025."
Review:
-James Molesworth (Wine Spectator) 96 Points
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
-James Suckling 95 Points
-La Revue du Vin de France 95 Points
Lyrarakis Assyrtiko Voila is made from 100% Assyrtiko.
Description: Our family discovered the quality potential of East Crete since the 70's. Originally on the “Vóila” plain and subsequently in the extended surroundings, we discover exceptional vineyards where the great grape variety Assyrtiko thrives.
Tasting notes: Bright platinum color. Pure floral aromas with ginger spices and delicate notes of ripe citrus. Marvelously ripe grapes have given this wine a crispy and rich mouthfeel with a mineral and chalky character.
Alcohol: 13.5% ABV
Acidity: 7 g/L
pH: 3.2
RS: 3.43 g/L
Region: Voila area, Sitia, east part of Crete
Soil: Loam
Sun Exposure: Northeast
Pruning Technique: Head trained, spur pruned
Altitude: 580m above sea level
Irrigation: Not irrigated
Yield: 7tn/ha
Varieties: Assyrtiko 100%
Winemaking: The harvest was performed by hand seeking to obtain a proper fruit maturity. Skin contact was carried out at 12°C for 16 hours. Fermented in a stainless steel tank, this wine had a slow fermentation rate that lasted for more than 15 days.
Food pairing: All seafood, grilled fish, as well as white meat cooked with lemon.
The Lyrarakis Estate is a family winery which has been producing high quality wines since 1966 with a strong focus on rare local varieties and producing single variety wines.
The family is credited with the revival of two ancient Cretan varieties, Dafni and Plyto while a third “vineyard treasure”, the indigenous Melissaki, is recently added to the credits.
Surrounded by the idyllic setting of the vineyards and the Lassithi mountains we offer you the opportunity to enjoy nature and discover local varieties and wines distinguished by the uniqueness of their origin and heritage.
The founders of the Lyrarakis Estate decided 40 years ago to get actively involved with winemaking in their native land. The company now known as GEA (Alagni Agricultural Enterprises) was founded in 1966. The family has always used its privately owned vineyards. At that time, the dominant varieties included Vilana, Kotsifali and Mantilaria. After careful selection of the Vilana strain, the first organised planting of this particular variety was completed and served to supply the farmers of the region. But the family’s grape-growing did not stop there. In the late 1980s, there was an attempt to save two rare native varieties, Dafni and Plyto, from the Phylloxera blight. Efforts were ultimately successful as indicated by the wines of the same name first made available by the Lyrarakis company in the early 1990s.
The village of Alagni, from which the Lyrarakis family originated, is located in the heart of Heraklion Prefecture, in the most mountainous area of Crete’s Peza region with the extensive wine-producing tradition (stone-carved wine presses from the Venetian era are scattered throughout the region).
Today, the family vineyard is 15 hectares (37 acres) and produces seven single-variety wines from native grape varieties: The selection of products is rounded off with combined vinification of native and foreign varieties, the best-known of which include Kotsifali-Syrah and Cabernet-Merlot.
Wine Gift Set Includes:
Review:
-James Suckling 93 Points
Alain de la Treille Vouvray 2025 is made from Chenin Blanc.
This Vouvray is stunning in its elegance and freshness, which carry through to a ripe, fruity palate marrying hints of honey and apricot.
Average age of the vines is 15 years. Part of this cuvee is made with 12 hours of skin maceration and another part from directly pressed grapes. The wine was lightly filtered before bottling to keep it stable.
An amazing Chenin Blanc that is great with BBQ pork spareribs or a gourmet apple pie.