2016 Thalassitis Assyrtiko
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Tasting notes
No oak. Reductive ageing. High free SO 2 at 65–70 g/l at bottling but it drops to 30 m/g by the time it is sold. Pale gold. Lovely struck-match reduction, almost honeyed citrus. Rounded, smooth, honeyed, still lots of freshness. Generous. Long, nutty. Mature but not in an oxidative way. Winemaker Yiannis Paraskevopoulos doesn’t like orange wines because the technique overpowers the grape, as with oxidative ageing, he says. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Thalassitis, the producer's unoaked, old-vine Assyrtiko, is always one of the more elegant wines and one with a fresher, livelier feel. It is never ponderous. Bright and perky, this seems graceful and easy until the finish shows that extra bit of tension as it dances across the palate. Like most fine Assyrtiko these days, there are layers and hidden secrets. It shows far better the next day, putting on weight and demonstrating the ability to improve in the glass as it warms and airs. As it expands in the glass, it becomes even more impressive. It will hold nicely and become more interesting in a year or two. Crisp and easy to adore even now, though, this is in good form this year.
100% Assyrtiko. Mostly smoky on the nose, saline, mouth-watering freshness on the palate. Linear and long, bone dry, mineral, really persistent and precise. (JH)