GAI'A Monograph Assyrtiko

GAI'A Monograph Assyrtiko bottle image

Wine Description

One of the pioneers of the modern Greek wine revolution, Gai’a Estate (pronounced Yay-ya) was established in 1994 by Leon Karatsalos and winemaker Yiannis Paraskevopoulos. Their mission was to capture the best that Greece’s indigenous grapes have to offer by merging traditional viticultural and production methods with innovative techniques. The estate is named after “Mother Earth,” in honor of the unique terroir that gives birth to these world-class wines.

GAI'A Santorini beach tasting
GAI'A Nemea Vineyards
Nemea Winery
Santorini Winery
Yiannis Paraskevopoulos and Leon Karatsalos
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Acclaim
“The Assyrtiko grapes are grown in the semi-mountainous free-draining limestone soils of Koutsi of Nemea. The vineyard is pruned very strictly to reduce yields and the juice was fermented with selected yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks and the wine was made without any oak influence. Ultra-pure stony citrus aroma. Tight, fresh and zesty. If I gave this to you blind, I am sure you would never think it was from Greece, with its associations of heat and sunshine. Long stony finish, perfectly balanced. A little more fruity than the classic Santorini Assyrtiko but no lack of stony finesse.”— 16.5 points (out of 20)
— Jancis Robinson, Nov 2021
“The 2019 Assyrtiko Monograph is unoaked, dry and comes in at 12.5% alcohol. This is not, to be clear, from the winery's Santorini holdings. Even so, it is the priciest of the Monographs this issue. It still does great. Seeming solid in the mid-palate, it shows fine structure as well. The fruit is lifted on the fresh finish and it lingers nicely, textured and tasty. For all that it leans to structure rather than fruitiness—like its Moschofilero sibling this issue—it does have fruit that demonstrates some expressiveness. That won't be its strong suit, though. Overall, this is an Assyrtiko built to be refreshing in warm weather.”
— Wine Advocate, Dec 2020
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Vineyard & Production Info
Soil composition
Calcareous
Average Vine Age:
10 years
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Assyrtiko
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Stainless steel tanks
Total SO2
85
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.2
Acidity:
6.3 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Total SO2
85
Residual sugar:
1.7 g/L