Since 2009, every year Gaia wines submerge around 500 bottles of the current vintage of “Thalassitis” just off the east coast of Santorini. Down there, under ideal conditions of stable temperature, they let them age, away from the light and unaffected by oxygen. Today, at 20m depth, an underwater cellar is formed, which at any given moment hosts 4 consecutive vintages of ”Thalassitis”.
Hidden underwater as a youthful, green and vibrant infant, the Submerged always emerges as an uncannily well-preserved wine that seems to defy time, where others of the same cloth would be, by now, simply aging gracefully. This is the golden intersection of youth and maturity. The looks, vivacity and sharpness are seemingly untouched, but any rough edges are smoothed over into a gentler and more refined version of themselves. All the while, the hallmark of the aging of Santorini Assyrtiko, the minerality, is intensified to a degree that is almost unfair. Upon mild decanting or simple swirling, the intense flintiness gives way to ripened aromas of citrus, white flowers and honeycomb but never yields dominance.
2018 Gaia Thalassitis ‘Submerged’
Assyrtiko
VERY LIMITED
2018 was a year of extremely condensed wines, with very high acidities and incredible structure due in part to the extremely low yields of the vintage. At the same time the relatively cool temperature of the days of harvest gifted the wines with bright and fresh aromas of citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit and white flowers that were more intense and complex than we usually give them credit for.
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