18/20 points Drink 2025 – 2040 "Deep, golden, reduced apricots. Bitter orange with tannins and acidity that help balance all the sweetness. Viscous, intensely sweet. Absolutely gorgeous, seductive. So drinkable even thought it is extremely sweet." (Julia Harding MW)

This stunning Vinsanto is a blend of 80% Assyrtiko and 20% Aidani, both indigenous grape varieties. This is what they refer to as a 'first release'. Sun-dried for 14 days. Spontaneous fermentation in old concrete vats at 25 °C, taking more than 8 months. Aged 3 years in concrete vats plus 4 years in neutral French and Russian oak of various sizes. TA 7 g/l, pH 3.1, RS 257 g/l.

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