Domaine Mega Spileo Assyrtiko Lagorthi
Last year on a visit to Athens, the owner of one of my favorite wine shops (Alpha Sigma) helped me pick out a few wines with unusual grapes. Now, I love me some Assyrtiko. Love. So, to combine that with my interest in less usual Greek grapes, he recommended the Domaine Mega Spileo Assyrtiko Lagorthi.
How much do I love this back label?!
Of course I jumped at this. Peloponnese Assyrtiko doesn’t usually do it for me but I had to have this wine for the Lagorthi. I got it home, made myself a pork gyro since I can now bring home the frozen meat, and prepared to learn about a new grape.
Domaine Mega Spileo and Lagorthi
Mega Spileo, which means ‘Grand Cave’ started life as a monastery in the 4th century. Fast-forward to 1999 when the Cavino Winery began renting the monastery’s vineyards and Domaine Mega Spileo emerged from there. The vineyards sit at 780 to 880 meters in sandy clay and gravel soils. Viticulture is organic with no irrigation for the mix of domestic and international grapes that includes Mavrodafne, Mavro Kalavritino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Lagorthi, Asyrtiko, Malagousia, and Riesling.
Lagorthi grows mainly in Achaia, in the northern Pelopennese. While I haven’t seen any varietal wines from it, the internet tells me that it produces lean, pure, mineral and floral wines. It makes wines with high acidity and generally moderate alcohol levels.
Domaine Mega Spileo Assyrtiko Lagorthi, 2018
Produced as a PGI Achaia wine, the blend contains 60% Assyrtiko and 40% Lagorthi. Grapes spent six hours macerating on their skins. No oak ageing but the wine did rest on the lees for 60 days with daily battonage (i.e. lees stirring).
The wine poured a beautiful, light golden hay color. It barely waited to hit the glass before releasing a plethora of alluring aromas. Yeasty-bready notes twined around pear and quince, while delicate pear blossom danced around a streak of salinity. After the wine lived in the glass and warmed up a touch, grilled pineapple made itself known.
The palate surprised me with its roundness and not so much weight but presence. It felt much bigger than the 12.5% abv would indicate. Side note: nice to have an Assyrtiko with under 14% abv! Flavors were everything that the nose promised with a lingering finish of orchard flowers and quincey-pineapple goodness. Just a delicious wine.