The
wines of Lyrarakis, Crete, Greece
Interesting wines from one of Crete's leading producers
Website: www.lyrarakis.gr
A family-owned winery in Crete, Lyrarakis
was established in 1966, but it wasn’t until 1992 that they first
bottled their own wine using the Lyrarakis name. They are based in
the Peza appellation, in the village of Alagni, Heraklion.
Vineyard area is comprises of 14
hectares, with gravel over limestone soils. The warm climate is
tempered by the altitude, which averages 550 m.
Manolis Lyrarakis is a champion of local
varieties, some of which have been rescued from near exctinction.
International varieties are also grown.
THE
WINES
Lyrarakis Vilana Pyrovolikes Vineyard 2016 Crete, Greece
100% Vilana. Fresh, lively and pure. A bit spicy and nutty
with nice pear and melon richness. Good acid and focus. 89/100
Lyrarakis Plyto Psarades Vineyard 2016 Crete, Greece
100% Plyto. Distinctive, herbal and unusual with some waxy
characters and slightly pithy, bitter notes. Nice fruit though.
87/100
Lyrarakis Vidiano Ippodromos Vineyard 2016 Crete, Greece
100% Vidiano. Nutty, waxy and detailed showing citrus fruit
with some white peach. There's a bit of mint, too. Lively stuff.
89/100
Lyrarakis Melissaki Gero-Deti Vineyard 2016 Crete, Greece
Slightly honeyed with lively citrus fruit. Stony and a bit
waxy with lots of flavour. Unusual and delicious with some herby
characters. 90/100
Lyrarakis Thrapsathiri Armi Vineyard 2015 Crete, Greece
Spicy and a bit nutty with lively citrus and pear fruit
with some cedary oak. Maybe a bit too much oak? 88/100
Lyrarakis Dafni Psarades Vineyard 2015 Crete, Greece
Dafni is a white variety whose name translates as bayleaf
in Greek, and Lyrarakis saved it from extinction in the 1970s.
Distinctive mint and rosemary herb character to the lemony fruit. So
fresh and distinctive. Herbal and interesting. 91/100
Lyrarakis Liatiko Kentros Vineyard Rosé 2016 Crete, Greece
Very pale in colour. Stony and savoury with nice cherries
and plums, as well as some herbs. Has a creamy edge. 88/100
Lyrarakis Mantilari Plakoura Vineyard 2014 Crete, Greece
Cherries, plums, spice and a bit of chocolate here. Spicy
and stony with some damson and herb characters. Tannic and
interesting. 90/100
(wines tasted 03/17)
Lyrarakis Okto White 2011 Crete,
Greece
13% alcohol. Lovely floral grapey aroma is pretty and quite
Muscat-like. The palate is fresh with some bitter pithy notes
offsetting the grapey fruit. Dry and crisp. 87/100
Lyrarakis Okto Rosé 2011
Crete, Greece
Red/pink colour. Lovely vibrant fruity cherry and red berry
fruit here. Sweet, fresh and well defined with nice fruitiness.
Juicy and vibrant. 88/100
Lyrarakis Okto Red 2010 Crete, Greece
13% alcohol. A blend of Syrah, Kotsifali and Mandilari. Sweet,
supple, ripe cherry and plum fruit with a nice spicy twist. Ripe and
supple, showing lovely fruit purity and balance. 86/100 03/12
Lyrarakis Assyrtiko 2011 Crete, Greece
Fresh and quite intense with a nice herby edge to the fruit,
some citrus and a hint of grapefruit. Very pure and precise, this is
a nice fruity style. 88/100
Lyrarakis Plyto 2011 Crete, Greece
Plyto is an old white Cretan variety. Attractive fruity nose of
melon, herb and citrus. The palate is dry but has a nice texture
with rounded peachy fruit. Lovely purity here. 89/100
Lyrarakis Four Fouras 2010 Crete,
Greece
14.5% alcohol. A full yellow colour. Intense, rich and nutty
with plenty of oak evident. There are notes of vanilla, spice, nuts,
coconut, apples and peach, with some honeyed richness. Very
distinctive and may age in interesting ways, but a little difficult
now. 88/100
Lyrarakis Symbolo Grande Cuvée 2008
Crete, Greece
15 months in oak. Ripe yet restrained berry and plum fruit on
the nose. Nice purity with supporting spicy oak. Fresh and grippy,
showing firm tannic structure, with a sophisticated feel to it and
good fruit purity, but it does need time for the spicy oak to
integrate. 90/100
Lyrarakis Malvasia of Crete NV Greece
Authentic to a famous old wine, this is made by drying grapes
for nine days in the sun before fermentation. Aged for one year in
new oak. Orange/bronze in colour with a very sweet, ripe, grapey,
spicy character, and tangerine and apricot fruit. Some tannic
structure as well as notes of tea and herbs, and some orange peel.
Sweet, spicy and complex, and in need of time to integrate fully.
90/100
(wines tasted 03/12)
UK
agent: BBR http://www.bbr.com/producer-2203-lyrarakis
See
also:
Gerovassiliou,
Greece
GREEK WINE
Sclavos,
Cephalonia
Hatzidakis,
Santorini
Thymopoulos,
Naoussa
Mylonas,
Attica
Tetramythos,
Pelopponese
Lyrarakis,
Crete
Sigalas,
Santorini
Doulofakis,
Crete
Wines
tasted 03/17 and 03/12
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