Hatzidakis Nykteri 2020

Hatzidakis Nykteri 2020

Hatzidakis
$50.00

Grape: Assyrtiko
Vintage: 2020
Type: White

This white wine is a traditional expression of late-harvested assyrtiko grapes produced under a strict low-intervention philosophy on Santorini. The hand-picked fruit is harvested at night to preserve freshness and undergoes a completely spontaneous fermentation driven by native wild yeasts. The wine undergoes a natural maturation process, aging on its fine fermentation lees for several months in neutral oak casks. This disciplined process builds natural structural complexity and density without wood flavor dominance or filtration.

It pours a bright straw-yellow color, releasing expressive aromas of citrus peel, white flowers, wet stones, and fresh kumquat. A full-bodied, structured frame balances a succulent mouthfeel with a vibrant line of mineral acidity. Savory flavors of yellow pear and lemon curd fold into a unique undertone of maritime salinity. The texture is broad yet perfectly focused across the mid-palate volume, showing excellent heft. It finishes long, dry, and clean, leaving a stone-tinged trail.

Hatzidakis is one of the defining modern estates of Santorini. Haridimos Hatzidakis and Konstantina Chryssou founded the winery in 1997 after restoring her family's long-abandoned vineyard near Pyrgos Kallistis, a site left untouched after the island's 1956 earthquake. Haridimos turned the cave at the edge of the vineyard into a small canava and became one of the island's great advocates for organic farming, old ungrafted vines and native varieties. Today the estate continues that work with Assyrtiko, Aidani, Mavrotragano and Vinsanto, producing volcanic wines of salt, tension and quiet depth rather than simple sunshine.