A beautiful top-rated Greek wine from 200+ year old vines. 

18/20 Points "Some notes of sweet oak but also the intensity of old vines. Rich, deep, long, powerful and yet still fresh – this is the beauty of Assyrtiko. The alcohol is well integrated and the acidity cleansing on the very long finish" (Julia Harding MW) Drink 2025-2035

95+points, Monica Larmer The Wine Advocate "This wine will be released in March 2025, and I tasted the 2022 after the older 2019 and 2020 vintages in this mini vertical. By tasting this youngest wine last, you get a sense of how fresh and pungent Assyrtiko can be in its youngest years. The Estate Argyros 2022 Santorini Assyrtiko Cuvee Monsignori has a busy bouquet with caper leaf, citrus blossom, thyme and wild sage. Those soft herbal notes cede directly to crushed stone and ashy mineral. Sensations of minerality are sometimes enhanced in the warm vintages, says Director Dimitris Motsos. This is an exceptional Assyrtiko that is young now and will benefit from more bottle time." 

Cuvee Monsignori is Estate Argyros’ vision on what Santorini Assyrtiko can actually be. Excessively old Assyrtiko vineyards, at least two hundred years old, giving minute yields. Fermented, partially uninoculated, in stainless steel, at cool temperatures and aged for ten months in stainless steel tanks on fine lees. A wine of breed, extract and length, that needs about four years in bottle to unfold and can be confidently kept for more than a decade after vintage. A rare and superb Greek wine of great value.

ABOUT ARGYROS

There are people who consider Mattaios Argyros, and his late father Yiannis, to be both the best sweet winemakers and the best white winemakers in Greece. Established in 1903, Estate Argyros, is currently the largest private owner of vineyards in Santorini. With a focus on sustainable farming practises and indigenous varieties, these past generations have positioned them well. A new winery and visitor centre were finished in 2015 and all this combined shows Argyros to be one of the great Ktimas of Greece. Based in Episkopi Santorini, they own 42ha of vineyards with ungrafted -original rootstock - phylloxera safe vines, averaging 70 years old, including some of the oldest on the island at over 200 years old. The vast majority of their vineyards are trained in the famous Basket shape (Kouloura) and even when given a choice, Argyros use this method, which they believe offers greater control over canopy, allowing for finer balance leading to better quality fruit. This use of Kouloura is the reason for the Estates incredibly low yields that when matched with state-of-the-art winemaking based on a philosophy of minimal intervention, produce a style that is clean, precise and razor sharp. These are truly wines of finesse and poise that benchmark the greatness that is emerging from Santorini.