Monemvasia Winery Tsimbidi – Monemvasia-Malvasia 2012

This Monemvasia-Malvasia Vin Liastos 2012 from Monemvasia Winery Tsimbidi is a PDO Malvasia-Monemvasia, the revival of a medieval sweet wine. The blend is built on a majority of the Monemvasia variety (60%), with Kydonitsa (20%), Asproudi (10%), and Assyrtiko (10%) – and notably does not contain what most people think of when they hear "Malvasia," a confusing naming issue that Yiannis Karakasis MW has written about in detail. The nose offers lots of honey and coffee. On the palate, chocolate comes through as well, with thyme lingering in the aftertaste. It's not as thick as a Vin Santo, and leans more orange in character. This 2012 vintage will stay excellent for decades – it would have been fascinating to compare it side by side with some of the Santorini sweet wines from the same vintage. A magnificent dessert wine that earns 94 points.