WINE ADVOCATE - 94+ POINTS From the estate's beautiful property on the volcanic island of Santorini, the unoaked Gai'a 2023 Santorini Assyrtiko Thalassitis shows crisp aromas of star fruit, quince, caper leaf and crushed stone. Proprietor Yiannis Paraskevopoulos says that the 2023 vintage produced especially aromatic fruit. You'll love the elegant manner in which this wine hits the palate with a combination of zesty fruit and salty minerals.
I loved my visit with Gai'a founder Yiannis Paraskevopoulos and his daughter Leto. The Bordeaux-trained winemaker created a well-known winery in Nemea in 1997 that is specialized in the Agiorgitiko grape. He created Gai'a on Santorini in 1994 with his partner, agronomist Leon Karatsalos. Literally on the beach near the Santorini airport, the tasting room is located in a former restaurant that went bust. The winery is located in an ex-tomato factory. The estate counts 12 hectares of vines with seven hectares spread about the island and five hectares near the winery in Kamari. Total Gai'a production including Nemea is 700,000 bottles, with just 60,000 made on Santorini. In 2023, that second number declined to 45,000 bottles. Monica Larner. Published: Dec 19, 2024
Producer notes: All the Assyrtiko grapes selected for THALASSITIS originate exclusively from our vineyards in Episkopi, Akrotiri, and Pyrgos regions. The vines are almost 80 years old and have a particularly low-yield that never exceeds 25 hl/ha. It is a bone-dry wine with strong character: full-bodied, well-structured with crisp acidity, distinctive minerality, and delicate honeysuckle aromas.
I loved my visit with Gai'a founder Yiannis Paraskevopoulos and his daughter Leto. The Bordeaux-trained winemaker created a well-known winery in Nemea in 1997 that is specialized in the Agiorgitiko grape. He created Gai'a on Santorini in 1994 with his partner, agronomist Leon Karatsalos. Literally on the beach near the Santorini airport, the tasting room is located in a former restaurant that went bust. The winery is located in an ex-tomato factory. The estate counts 12 hectares of vines with seven hectares spread about the island and five hectares near the winery in Kamari. Total Gai'a production including Nemea is 700,000 bottles, with just 60,000 made on Santorini. In 2023, that second number declined to 45,000 bottles. Monica Larner. Published: Dec 19, 2024
Producer notes: All the Assyrtiko grapes selected for THALASSITIS originate exclusively from our vineyards in Episkopi, Akrotiri, and Pyrgos regions. The vines are almost 80 years old and have a particularly low-yield that never exceeds 25 hl/ha. It is a bone-dry wine with strong character: full-bodied, well-structured with crisp acidity, distinctive minerality, and delicate honeysuckle aromas.
