2022 THE HERMIT, Akriotou Microwinery. Boeotia, Greece

Savatiano, Assyrtiko and Aidani, fermented in steel tanks and matured on the lees for 10 months.

In the words of the UK agent, Hallgarten: “Vasiliki Akriotou is an oenologist with over 20 years’ experience in the wine industry. In 2015, she created her first range of wines from a micro-winery in the heart of Greece, which reflected her philosophy of winemaking. The grapes are sourced from Plataea, a small village at the foot of the Kitheronas Mountain, in Central Greece. The vineyard is situated at an altitude of 250 to 320 metres elevation and during the autumn and winter months cool air masses blow down from the mountains, carrying dew which refreshes the vineyard with crucial humidity. Cold winters, hot summers and long, dry autumns combine with long periods of sunshine to enable the grapes to reach excellent maturity and complexity.”

Faintly exotic, with complex, ripe aromatics but a really clean, dry, thirst-quenching finish.