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The Village of Alagni
| Nutshell... |
| Company Name: |
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Ktima Lyrarakis G.E.A. |
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| Location: |
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Alagni,Iraklio Prefecture, Crete |
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| Winemaker: |
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Sotiris Lyrarakis |
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| Products: |
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 Vin de Crete White |
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OPAP White |
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Dafní |
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 Vin de Crete Red |
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Opap Red |
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Syrah/kotsifáli |
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| Quotes of note: |
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On pesticides and fertilizers:
"Whatever
you use to combat the enemies of the grape, whatever you use to aid in their maturation,
these things, too, become part of the wine"
On technical strategies:
"We make our steps according to reality. We don't follow what others are
doing. Our method is simple: we look, we check, we taste, we converse...If someone
else has a method–and it improves the qaulity of the wine–I will try it. We need
to constantly evaluate our methodology, of course, but often the improvements we
make come from focusing on the elements with which we are already working." |
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| To contact this company click
here |
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Sotiris and Lampros Lyrarákis
opened their winery in Alagni, Crete
in 1966. In keeping with two Greek traditions, they continued their father's legacy
(he was also a winemaker) and applied themselves to supplying a number of Greece's
better-known labels with appellation Pezá wine as well as building a bulk
wine business inside and outside of the country. In the late eighties, the Lyrarákis
brothers began making preparations towards bottling estate wine under their own label.
The maiden release was in 1993. Managing Director and winemaker Sotiris and vineyardist
Lampros teamed with oenologist George Tsoumaïdis and embarked on what has been
a long and difficult path. Struggling through the nineties in a region which is regarded
in Greece as having no respectable grape varieties, they continually edged towards
greatness while the market and the rest of the wine industry turned a cold shoulder.
On the recommendation of Maria Marouláki, owner of Canava in Thessaloniki,
we first tried their wines in 1995, surprised to have missed them somehow on two
previous trips to Crete. In 1996 we finally met Sotiris in person. It forever changed
our conception of Greek wine.
Sotiris Lyrarakis has a quiet air of authority about him. An inquisitive and fastidious
problem-solver, he is uncompromising in his efforts to get at the root of matters,
be they business details or, in the case of his wines, science or aesthetics. He
is a master distiller of information. This keen ability to compile and manage resources
is behind his exceptional skill as a winemaker–a skill that is largely self-taught.
More importantly, Lyrarakis combines these attributes with a level of vision and
good judgement that make him an extraordinary product developer. This vision is evidenced
in the revival of two important white cultivars, Plytó
and Dafní, native to Crete, that had been at risk
of extinction.
In 1986 they began the systematic cultivation of these grapes from random vines growing
on their property. With no precedent for their vineyard management or vinification,
it took years of experimentation to get at the essence of the varieties. Dafní
was the first to be realized, making its debut in the mid-1990s. The first bottlings
revealed a wine of tremendous grace and subtlety, but which, despite being one of
the very best Greek wines at the time, displayed minor instability resulting in a
lack of clarity after some time in the bottle. During five additional years of tweaking,
any doubts concerning the potential of the variety have been put to rest. By the
2000 vintage, the Dafní showed its true colors, a clean and aromatic wine
with more acidity than the early versions, a firm structure to support its round
and silky fruit. The variety takes its name from the Greek word for laurel,
whose aromas its wines are said to resemble, although the association is with fresh
Laurel, not the dried bay leaves with which most Americans are familiar.
By the end of the nineties, Plytó had been tamed. Our first encounter with
Plytó came after a week of tasting a slew of impressive whites from the Peloponessos. It was difficult to imagine that a wine
from Crete–even from Lyrarakis–would compete favorably against the outstanding products
of the Peloponessos' new wave of producers. But it did. The Plytó is a wine
of pronounced acidity and solid structure with a mineral backbone and certain flavors
and aromas I felt reminiscent of Savignon Blanc. For Christina, it was the highlight
of six weeks of tasting in which we sampled roughly 200 white wines.
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Sotiris
Lyrarakis
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So far, Lyrarakis wines are an anomoly
on Crete. It is not that they have no competition: there are several producers there
with a firm handle on the local cultivars. Boutari,
for instance, in keeping with times, has scaled up its Cretan portfolio, putting
some of the same shine on its southernmost property as it has on its others. Lyrarakis
wines, however, have the exclusive ability to transcend their extreme southern origins.
Crete, it should be remembered, is either south of or at similar lattitude to: Tangiers,
Algiers, Tunis and the Syrian coast. Despite healthy elevation and a favorable microclimate
this is no mean feat. Nor is it luck.
Lyrarakis has demonstrated unmatched abitilities with Crete's more common (and problematic)
local varieties, especially those required for the Pezá appellation govering
his district. The white Vilana,
the sole variety permitted under the Pezá white OPAP
designation, is usually both fairly nondescript and prone to oxidation. Aside from
any unique methodology, Lyrarakis, like his more sensible Greek peers who have revealed
new potential in poorly-regarded ciltivars, began his rescue of Vilána's reputation
primarily by applying to it modern standards of vineyard management and vinification,
an approach that has not entirely caught on in Crete. His eponymous OPAP white is
still delicate (and best consumed at aroma-friendly temperatures–for instance, on
Crete) but inspires wonder that so few other producers on the island are willing
to risk lowering yields. As if to acknowledge certain shortcomings of Vilána
(despite his best efforts), Lyrarakis blends it with Sauvignon blanc and Sylvaner
in his Cuveé Grande Colline.
Lyrarakis' Kotsifáli products are among Crete's best. His red
OPAP , by law a blend
of Kotsifáli with Mandilariá, shows every advantage of low yield farming and
underscores assertions sometimes heard on the island concerning the idea of Crete
as an ideal grape growing region. Although, unlike his other reds, his OPAP displays
Cretan character in profusion, it is a warm climate wine one appreciates as one would
Rioja and better Portuguese reds. In addition, Lyrarakis produces a distinctly regional
style of red wine, Vin de Crete, of unparalled local color. It features Kotsifáli,
Mandilariá and the complex and often floral Liatiko.
It would be primarily of interest to wine geeks in America, but in Crete it is nectar.
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The
Lyrarakis' have a smart shop in Iraklio where customers can buy their wine and Tzikoudiá,
the world's cleanest grape distillate.
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Common Western varieties have had
a major impact on Greek viticulture during the last twenty or thirty years, sometimes
for the better, sometimes for the worse. It is a complex issue that is subject to
much debate. The practice of using French cultivars must be evaluated on a case by
case basis. Sometimes their use is thoughtful and appropriate and sometimes it is
simply gratuitous or even misguided. In this regard, Sotiris Lyrarakis is one of
several Greek winemakers who are models of judiciousness. Whether because of certain
shortcomings of young Kotsifáli vines, or a lack of confidence in the local
appellation laws to guarantee superior quality, or just a matter of personal taste,
Lyrarakis, like many in Greece in similar circumstances, began looking outside of
Crete, and even Greece, for suitable varieties for amelioration in vin de pays wines.
His Last Supper, a blend of Kotsifáli and Mandiariá with Carignane,
shows a deft mind at work. The somewhat alcoholic, acidic and orangeish Kotsifáli
traditionally gets both color and temperance from the Mandilariá–but not much
else. The complex but somewhat chemically neutral Carignane not only fills in the
gaps, but adds a pleasant richness that well suits its companion varieties. The decision
to use a mere 5% Carignane is typical of Lyraraki's studious ability to decide exactly
what needs to be done.
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A new winery
has recently been finished
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Lyrarakis has long sought to produce
a red wine that transcends its origins, a wine that could be from any wine region,
but which would be, hopefully, universally highly regarded. He finally created that
wine, another Vin de Pays, Kotsifáli-Syrah. Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot
can be found throughout Greece, though sometimes in strangly inappropriate locations.
In seeking a grape to marry with Kotsifáli, Syrah could not have been better
chosen. Firstly, although Crete is situated well south of, say, the Rhone, the elevation
of Alagni's vineyards (440 meters) is apparently suitable compensation (though Syrah,
of course, likes warm climates anyway). Secondly, Syrah appears to welcome the strong
sun on Crete, exhibiting an exceptional concentration of fruit with little risk of
damage (Alagni is located in an area that receives mitigating mountain breezes).
Lastly, though this is true for any grape in Crete, there is near total control over
root moisture because it almost never rains during the growing season. The deep berry
extracts and tannins of Syrah balance nicely with Kotsifáli's more austere
attributes. What is most striking about the wine, however, is that it is an amelioration
of Syrah with 30% Kotsifáli. Lyrarakis, therefore, may be judged on his vinification
of the familiar Syrah in addition to his execution of a Cretan variety for which
there is no basis in the West for comparison. In our opinion, the wine stands up
to Western levels of scrutiny. Additionally, there is something reassuring and noble
about the use of an entirely indigenous cultivar in the amelioration of one of the
world's best known varieties. While many in Greece are promoting the international
recognition of various indigenous grapes (an uphill battle no matter how deserving
they may be), the Kotsifáli has found a a supporting role in which its value
is well demonstrated.
For Lyrarakis, moves such as these have brought increased awareness in Greece on
the part of both consumers and his fellow winemakers. This recognition, better late
than never, speaks both to his skill as a winemaker and to a deeper understanding
in Greece of the definition of quality as it pertains to wine. The future, now, is
less worrisome for Sotiris Lyrarakis. |
