2017 Gai'a Assyrtiko Thalassitis Santorini Greece 750 ml

Michelin-2-Star Find and Parker’s Highest Rated Greek White

On a recent trip to NYC, we stopped in at the bar Michael White’s Michelin-two-star Marea for crudi and antipasti—after all, we were still feeling quite European after a two-week stint in Bordeaux. Scanning the 34-page wine list, we went straight for white Burgundy, but our eye landed on rare outlier on the list, just above some very good Chablis: “Thalassitis Gai’a 2017,” the only Greek wine on the list.  

We grabbed the sommelier, curious about the indigenous Greek white sharing space with Chablis and Puligny-Montrachet. The sommelier was thrilled: “Excellent choice,” he complimented us, before going on to explain 2017 Gai'a Assyrtiko Thalassitis is not only Robert Parker’s top-rated Greek white, but a citrus and mineral dynamo that pleases wine aficionados and casual poolside drinkers alike.

After a few sips, we were hooked. Today, the 2017 Gai'a Assyrtiko Thalassitis from the sun-soaked Aegean island of Santorini is a must-have, and a liquid win-win: Robert Parker’s 95-point highest rated Greek white of 2017, and the only Greek wine good enough for a Michelin-2-star wine list in bustling Gotham. Lovers of mineral-bright, citrus-kissed Sancerre, crisp and mouthwatering Chablis, or fruit-forward, zippy Sauvignon Blanc will fall hard for this unique white.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate’s 95-point review of the 2017 Gai’a Assyrtiko “Thalassitis” Santorini marveled over a vintage that balances, “freshness, elegance and lively demeanor,” with a “deeper style,” that is “dense and ripe.” It boasts powerfully rich, concentrated and layered fruit, and caperberry-like florals kissed with sea salt, and was a real show-stopper the day we discovered it.

The name “Thalassitis” is a reference to an ancient style of Greek wine that was infused with seawater given the scarcity of fresh water. But make no mistake, this white’s salty minerality (which makes it the best companion to most foods) comes from the 80-year-old vines rooted in poor volcanic soils that produce less than two tons of grapes per acre.

Today’s bottles are the last in the United States before the 2018 vintage is released, and if this is the only Greek white wine you buy all year, all we have to say is: “Excellent choice.”