Estate Argyros, Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece 2018

“The 2018 Assyrtiko, the regular Santorini, although in a fairly big bottle these days, is unoaked, dry (1.6 grams of residual sugar, 6.92 of total acidity) and comes in at 13.5% alcohol. This is a blend from mainly Messaria, Karterados, Pyrgos, Megalochori and Akrotiri. It is beautifully structured and feels more concentrated than one would think. There’s a slight reductive hint, but this fills the mouth well and seems bigger than it is on paper. There is a tight and relatively tense finish. The reductive nuance is mostly pulled in with air and warmth. It certainly has the stuffing to hold up to foods. The winery suggests that it can last for a decade…”-91WA, 2020-2029

Founded in 1903, the Argyros Estate is located on the island of Santorini, famed for its spiraling vines and white washed churches. In 1950, the Argyros vineyards were passed down to the founder’s son, who tripled the estate from 5 to 15 acres. Yiannis Argyros, the third-generation owner of the estate who took over in 1974, began looking beyond the local market for his wines

The inorganic soil of the island of Santorini is naturally immune to Phylloxera and many other vineyard pests, reducing the need for synthetic herbicides & pesticides. Estate Argyros practices sustainable viticulture, using composted grape must as fertilizer, and plowing the vineyards with mules.

The estate vineyards are located primarily in Episkopi and Pyrgos, which are prime locations for Assyrtiko. The ungrafted vines range in age from 30 to over 150 years, and are trained into basket-shaped bowls, a traditional technique called “kouloura”.