Lyrarakis Wines Does It Again with Its Armi Thapsathiri
Of all the wines I’ve been able to try from Crete’s Lyrarakis Wines, its Thrapsathiri somehow fell between the cracks! With this being one of my favorite Greek grapes, I’m not really sure how I allowed such a travesty to occur. Lucky for me, a friend visiting the winery graciously brought back a bottle for me!
The Lyrarakis Wines Armi Thrapsathiri marries one of my favorite Cretan wineries with one of my favorite Greek grapes for (spoiler!) a richly flavored wine full of fruits and the sea.
Lyrarakis Wines
It is thanks to wineries like Lyrarakis Wines a lot of unloved and nearly lost Cretan grapes are being reintroduced to the market. Brothers Manolis and Sotiris Lyrarakis established their winery in 1966. Now run by the family’s second generation, the family has devoted itself to the revival of rare, local varieties. The winery’s portfolio features more than 11 indigenous varieties, three of which it saved from extinction: Dafni, Plytó, and Melissaki. 
At the same time that the Lyrarakis family investigates Crete for rare varieties to save, they’re also helping save the planet through advocacy of sustainability and regenerative farming. Since 2020, the winery has been fully organic and convinced a significant percentage of its cooperating farmers to also make the transition. As part of their regenerative approach, they have stopped ploughing and only use fertilizer made of organic waste from their kitchen, the winemaking process, and the nearby oil mills. They plant new vineyards at higher altitudes and have replaced previous wire trellising systems to the lyre system to address climate change issues. Every year, as part of their Message-In-A-Bottle project, the family evaluates and publicizes the winery and the farmers they work with for their water, soil, pest and ecosystem management, air quality and community impact.
While I haven’t been able to visit yet myself, I know that Lyrarakis Wines definitely welcomes visitors!
Thrapsathiri
Not as rare as say Melissaki, Thrapsathiri is nonetheless still something of an emerging grape. One I personally fell in love with even before visiting Crete.
For years it lived for years in the shadow of more popular Vilana and Vidiano. However, like Dafni and Plytó, Thrapsathiri is gaining ground. Literally, as plantings increase across the island.
The grape is highly resistant to drought, therefore does very well in the warmest and driest areas of Crete. While it grows all over Crete (and to a lesser extent in the Cyclades and Dodecanese), it prefers light calcareous soils. This has the advantage of controlling the vine’s natural vigor and high yields which winemakers need to carefully manage to produce concentrated fruit. Thrapsathiri has good resistance to downy mildew but is susceptible to powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot. It ripens in late August and you will find vines both bush and wire-trained.
Thrapsathiri wines are vivacious with pale lemon-lime in color and a fruit-forward aroma profile dominated by melon, peach, and tropical fruits. Generally on the full-bodied side with higher alcohol and fresh acidity, Thrapsathiri takes well to oak. Wines are at their best in their first few years but do gain more complexity and texture in those three – four years making it worth hanging onto one that long.
Lyrarakis Wines Armi Thrapsathiri, 2023
The Lyrarakis Wines Armi Thrapsathiri sources grapes from the winery’s east-facing Armi vineyards. “Armi” – Cretan dialect for “top of a mountainside” perfectly describes this particular vineyard. A terraced vineyard, it sits at an altitude of 500 meters in sandy clay soils loaded with marine fossils and takes advantage of sea breezes coming off the surrounding Aegean.
In the winery, the hand-harvested grapes were lightly crushed then left with the skins for three hours. Initial fermentation began in stainless steel and finished (along with brief aging for 1.5 month) in a mix of Austrian, French, and American oak (40% new oak).
Rich aromas of brioche, yellow fruits, yuzu, and pomelo mingled with a sea-like tang while flavors of candied citrus and stone fruit danced on a generous and broad palate, shot through with a bright, citrussy acidity, before ending with a waft of floral perfume. Medium-bodied with 12.3% ABV.
Generally, I really enjoy the wines from Lyrarakis. And I love Thrapsathiri. No exceptions here! This is definitely a wine I’d look for again.
The Quick and Dirty Guide to Greek Wine
I’ve been inspired for some years now by Greek wine. This country-wide renewal in interest of native varieties (beyond Assyrtiko, Agiorgitiko, and Xinomavro) is to be both commended and hopefully emulated elsewhere. It also motivated me to create The Quick & Dirty Guide to Greek Wine!
Available now in paperback on Amazon (hopefully soon as an e-book, at the moment I’m having conversion issues) and by special order in Turkey.
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