Winemaker Notes
Pale gold hue color with glints of green. Rich, complicated nose and clean acidity with a long finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Femina is an unoaked Malvasia coming in with good acidity and 13.9% alcohol. I'm not sure if there is any single wine on Crete that I'd rather drink than this summer refresher. That doesn't necessarily mean it is the best, but it does mean it fulfills its purposes perfectly. And it has the virtue of being inexpensive too. It is typically a bit grassy and green on opening, but that changes to spice as it airs out. It is typically dense for the level, tightly wound and very fresh, and this year continues that trend. It adds a big, lively finish. Plus, as it aired and warmed, it showed more nuance into the mid-60s (Fahrenheit), becoming less green but spicier, while still filled with flavor. It can be drunk young, but it should hold for at least 5 years, mybe more.
Persistent with jasmine aromas and tropical fruit flavors, both grape and name are far-reaching. Approximately 70 registered grapes contain Malvasia as part of their name or are listed as a synonym. The French call it Malvoisie, Germans call it Malvasier, British say Malmsey and confusingly one variety double-times under the alias, Boal, on the island of Madeira. In any case, Italy has more forms of Malvasia than any other country: Malvasia Bianca di Candia, Malvasia di Candia Aromatico and the red-skinned Malvasia di Casorzo from Piedmont. The list goes on. Somm Secret—The actual name could stem from an Italian mispronunciation of Monemvasia, a southern Greek port.
As one of Greece’s largest island’s, its wines enjoyed high glory during the Middle Ages. Today Crete is full of ambitious winemakers with the city of Heraklion as its viticultural hub.