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Hatzidakis Nykteri 2022

$8299
Use code 10OFF to get 10% off 12+ bottles

Nykteri is Santorini's old barrel-aged white, and the name is the story: it comes from the Greek for working through the night, because growers picked in the dark and pressed before the heat could touch the overripe fruit. Hatzidakis makes it from Assyrtiko off ungrafted, koloura-trained vines at Megalochori — grapes chilled overnight, destemmed, given twelve hours on skins, fermented with indigenous yeasts at 17 to 18°C, then twelve months in French oak barrels of varying size. The result is nothing like a modern oaky white; the volcanic ash and the appellation's high natural alcohol supply the power, and the wood only frames it. The estate farms organically across a patchwork of small owned and rented parcels around the island, a network Haridimos Hatzidakis built and his children have kept. This will hold and improve for a decade or more, and it wants a bigger glass at 14 to 16°C, not fridge-cold.

Shipping

Every step of the journey is managed to uphold the integrity of each bottle.

  • Nationwide Access: Flat-rate shipping available to most U.S. states with delivery in 3-5 business days.
  • Temperature-Monitored Shipping: We closely monitor weather conditions and make informed decisions to ensure shipments travel safely, with insulated packaging and refrigerated transport available when required.
  • Wine-Specific Protective Packaging: Specialized materials designed to maintain label integrity and prevent breakage during transit.
  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

Returns & Exchanges

We stand behind every bottle we sell.

  • If the wine is less than 10 years old and it is corked, you may return it to us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase. You must show us proof of purchase. We understand that you may not live near a shop and that it is difficult to ship open bottles of wine to us, so if there's any problem feel free to Contact Us and we'll work it out.
  • For wines older than 10 years, the consumer bears the risk of a faulty cork, but we accept returns of older bottles if the wine is faulty as a result of improper storage. Please come by the store or Contact Us if there is a problem.
  • We may, at our discretion and to the extent permitted by law, accept returns of unopened wines within 30 days of purchase if they were properly stored by the purchaser, subject to a 15% re-stocking fee.

View our complete return policy →

Have Questions?

Our team is here to help.

Hours

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 12pm - 5pm

CLOSED SUNDAYS

Email: help@flatiron-wines.com
Phone: (415) 780-1405


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Robert Parker

92 points

"This wine faithfully reflects Nykteri tradition in a category that has many different interpretations today. The Hatzidakis 2022 Santorini Nykteri is made with late-harvest fruit from centenary vines. The fruit is pressed during cool nighttime temperatures, and the end of the harvest is celebrated with music performed by Stella Hatzidakis (an opera singer) and agronomist Markos Chouzouris on guitar. The wine ages in neutral French oak to show almond butter, cooked apple and preserved lemon. I also get a musky note that reminds me of ozone or a closed refrigerator door, but that does blow off. It closes with pretty freshness." —Monica Larner

More about Hatzidakis

To make wine on the volcanic, Greek island of Santorini is nothing short of a miracle. Its defining feature, the ash covering its surface, is simultaneously its biggest asset and greatest detriment. Yet people have been making intense, concentrated wines there for centuries. With decades of talent and hard work behind them, the Hatzidakis family has been turning this demanding terrain into some of Greece's best wines.

3,600 years ago a massive volcanic explosion destroyed the Minoan civilization living on Santorini, sinking half the island with it. The rest was covered in a thick layer of ash and pumice. No viable crops will grow in such a desolate landscape-- except for vines.

In this Mediterranean climate, it rains only during the winter months and there is no fresh water available. Vines survive off the morning mist that gets sucked up by the ash and trickles down into roots. However, this same ash is poisonous to phylloxera: the louse that destroyed most of the world's vineyards. All vines are own rooted, with some root systems over 400 years old. This means vines dig deep to concentrate their energy and produce miniscule yields of grapes.

Besides the struggle inherent in producing wine in this impossible place, the Hatzidakis family has endured their own internal tragedies. Their patriarch and champion of Santorini, Haridimos passed away in 2017. They have carried on his legacy, with his wife and daughter taking the reign. He has posthumously proved himself as talented a teacher as winemaker as the wines have not lost any of nerve and continue to be standard bearers.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Assyrtiko

  • Vintage

    2022

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Earthy , Minerally

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Lobster and shellfish with butter, roast chicken in a white wine sauce, veal in cream, or a hard aged sheep's cheese. Serve it with food rather than as an aperitif.

Tasting Profile

Golden in the glass, with ripe stone fruit, preserved lemon and a wisp of barrel spice. Full-bodied and powerful, with high acidity and a stony, salty finish that runs long. Dry, and more mineral than fruity.

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