2023 Tarsanas Amyndeon Assyrtiko, Kir-Yianni

• Style: Mineral-driven, high-altitude white
• Taste: White blossom, quince, pear with saline tension and vanilla oak
• Food: Grilled fish, goat cheese, shellfish & crustacean
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night, aperitivo
• Serve: Now or hold 5 years; 14% ABV

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Bright and bracing, the 2023 Tarsanas opens with white blossom and quince, followed by pear and a whisper of vanilla from six months in oak. The mineral spine underneath — a saline tension born from Amyndeon's high-altitude, poor sandy soils — holds everything upright. At 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.17, the acidity is vivid yet composed, never sharp. This wine tastes like it comes from somewhere: the cool northern foothills of Mount Vermio.

The Winery — Kir-Yianni

Founded in 1997 by Yiannis Boutaris, a visionary central to Greece's modern wine revival, Kir-Yianni has championed indigenous varieties and terroir expression for over two decades. The estate pioneered Assyrtiko plantings on poor, sandy soils at 700 metres in Amyndeon, the country's coolest region. Today, fifth-generation winemaker Stellios Boutaris leads the house with a focus on sustainability and precision viticulture. The 2023 vintage proved challenging — warm, dry winter followed by extended spring rain that cut yields hard — but a cooler-than-average summer and measured September warmth allowed late-ripening Assyrtiko to achieve balance. Hand-harvested on 6 October from the shallow, limestone-bedrock Tarsanas block, the fruit arrived with exceptional concentration. Half went whole-bunch, half destemmed; fermentation moved from stainless steel into 225-litre French oak (half new, half older) for six months with gentle lees-stirring, adding texture without masking minerality.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

A wine that rewards every sip, the Tarsanas pairs beautifully with grilled fish, oily and white fish alike, goat cheese, and shellfish & crustacean. Its vivid acidity and mineral backbone make it equally at home as an aperitivo or at the heart of a Sunday lunch or date night. Drink it now for its bright, fresh character, or confidently hold it for another five years — Assyrtiko ages beautifully into honeyed, toasty territory. If this captures you, explore our wider selection of Light & Crispy White Wine. Curious about what else the Assyrtiko grape is doing across Greece? We've curated a range that shows its true range.