Lyrarakis Psarades Vineyard Plyto 2016 - Crete; 13% abv; 100% Plyto; c.14€
If you haven't heard of the Plyto grape variety I don't blame you. There's a slight chance I might be wrong with 2016, but this is the only commercial bottling of a 100% Plyto in the world. At least this was the case until 2015. Lyrarakis recently resurrected the autochthonous Cretan grapes Dafni and Plyto and started making varietal wines from them.
I heard rumours that their Dafni might become available soon. But right now we have the Plyto available. And it is a wine of genuine interest. Very aromatic and fruity nose: peach and some kind of herbaceous character - it's difficult to really give a good characterisation since I have no frame for it (this being the only Plyto in the world and different growers and winemakers will leave their own marks on what would become the Plytonic Ideal form of the grape).
It is fairly weighty and broad on the palate, but nothing like what the fruitiness of the nose suggested. In fact it's rather steely and stern and structured compared to what I was expecting from the nose. And that's only a good thing. I like structure. There's a really lovely little bitterness to the fruit that, alongside the really refreshing acidity (for a wine grown on an island just a mile from the surface of the sun), makes this very moreish. Long, refreshing, clean, characterful finish. Fun. And interesting on its own merits, too, not just for being a grape variety saved from extinction.
This certainly made me interested in trying the Dafni when it arrives. Characterful fun little wines are always welcome. Especially if they also have some interest apart from their aesthetic qualities - I am a bit of a sucker for all these weird, unknown grapes. And yes, I fully understand that most of them are little known for a very good reason: they're just not terribly interesting. But this one was.