Although each new release of “Familia” Assyrtiko only makes a fleeting, once-per-year appearance on our site, it always delivers a lasting effect on those lucky enough to acquire some because they are luxuriantly textured and fiercely individualistic white wines from one of the world’s most exotic locales. For a mere $40 and change, the buyer is essentially securing a VIP pass that takes them on a fully immersive, multi-dimensional Cycladic experience. And while the allure of Santorini has proved to be boundless, its wine production is the exact opposite—finite and microscopic.
Hatzidakis is a prime example: Across their 10 hectares, they craft 12 unique cuvées (averaging 0.8 hectares per cuvée) which is why “Limited Production” is prominently displayed on today’s front label. That said, rarity does not equate to quality so why, then, do we swoon for “Familia?” Because by combining organic raw material, distressingly low yields, back-breaking vine work, and minimalist winemaking, a wine of formidable power, searing minerality, and divine opulence is born. One taste of today’s 2020 “Familia” conjures fantastical aromas, flavors, and textures that are singular to only Assyrtiko as grown on the tiny crescent island of Santorini. In our minds, Hatzidakis continues to be among the most fascinating and (unjustly) affordable wines in the world. No more than six bottles per person!
NOTE: This wine is slated to arrive at our warehouse during the third week of January.
If you know Santorini, you know “The Wizard of Wine,” Haridimos Hatzidakis. This was a mastermind who toiled for decades, conducting innovative, industry-leading work that still reverberates today. Considered by many to be the most talented winemaker to ever grace the island, he spent his life being a fearless champion for natural farming and low-intervention winemaking. His vinous creations first stunned locals in the ‘90s, followed by importers, before eventually making their way onto top wine lists and into retail shops around the world. Quite simply, the Assyrtiko grape would not enjoy the global fame it does today without him. Although his untimely death in 2017 shocked the wine community, his close-knit team, led by his eldest daughter, Stella, forged ahead in his memory. We’re now three vintages removed from his passing, but the spirit of Haridimos still lives.
Sometime between 1645 and 1500 BC, the volcanic eruption of Thera on modern-day Santorini became one of the largest seismic events in recorded history, leaving behind a crescent-like caldera in the midst of the Aegean. Believed to be over 100 times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the blast, among other natural fallout, discarded megatons of ash and lava that now make up the igneous soils of Santorini. I’m amazed that we’re able to offer wines like this—wines from places so extreme and remote it seems impossible that they’d be consumed, let alone known about, anywhere other than where they’re made.
But here we are, offering up an evocative white from mythical Santorini, where seaborne breezes are so fierce that growers must fashion their vines into short, basket-like coils instead of training them on trellises. Vineyards on Santorini, rooted in infertile, ashy sands, look like rows of large nests, in which you might find dinosaur eggs instead of grapes. Many vines here are very old, sometimes hundreds of years, as Santorini is one corner of the world that never had to contend with the phylloxera louse that destroyed most of Europe’s vineyards generations ago (most of the places that escaped phylloxera had sandy and/or volcanic soils).
Coming from organically farmed young vines, today’s 100% Assyrtiko is a masterclass on authenticity. While we typically associate oak with “fine wine,” that’s certainly not the case in Santorini: Many of the best wines here age on their raw lees in stainless steel. “Familia” fermented on indigenous yeasts, matured for six months in stainless, and was then bottled with low amounts of sulfur to showcase the monumental power, tension, and acidity of Assyrtiko.
Regardless of climate, the best wines in the world are all about balance, energy, and precision. Accordingly, rainfall is scarce in Santorini, and there’s no irrigation either, so the vines grab what little hydration they can from the moist sea air—that unique trait is always perceptible in Hatzidakis’ “Familia.” Today’s 2020 release is a ripe, mineral powerhouse that demands no less than 30 minutes in a decanter before fully opening up. On first sip, the taster will be blown back by a powerful defensive line of salty minerality, struck flint, and crushed volcanic rock but behind that mineral wall lies opulent flavors of grilled mango peel, crisp green apple, fleshy peach, lemon curd, candied citrus peel, grapefruit pith, and stirred lees. This is an opulent, mineral-loaded white that bear-hugs every taste bud without saturating them—it's going to open your eyes to an entirely new dimension of white wine. Enjoy now and over the next five years.
