Iliana Mahílin "Rhea" Old Vines Vidiano '22

"Old Vines" isn't a regulated term in the wine world. It's easy enough to stumble on a label proclaiming a rich heritage and the wisdom of age of vines barely scratching their third decade.

Iliana Malíhin's vines are not that. These Vidiano vines are most assuredly ancient, fittingly enough for the rich history of the island of Crete where they grow. The babies here are 90 years old, and some have reached 140. And they maintain a direct line to the soil, to that ancient Cretan history: Phylloxera never landed in this vineyard, and the vines sit atop their original rootstock. This connection to the rich tradition of Crete doesn't stop in the vineyard, either - as the wine elaborates for a year in tank, Iliana Mahílin plays it traditional Cretan music.

This all unfolds in the glass with a wine that tells story of a windswept island staring off into the expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. A seaspray-laden salinity is the name of the game, marked with wildflower and vivid citrus, poised above a driving acidity. Truly a wine that has translated its own story.