Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is all about minerality with a touch of peach, lemon and char. Medium bodied. Good acidity. On the palate, this is focused (piercing minerality) with good acidity. Long finish. This begs for food; maybe some Hummus and Pita, or some oysters. Drink over the next few years.
Assyrtiko is quickly becoming one of my favorite white grapes. Light golden in color. The nose is mostly about minerals and salinity but there are some pears as well. The pears are a bit stronger on the palate, but the underlying minerality and saline finish are still present. This is light bodied but very energetic. Moderate acidity. Medium finish. Of course, this is made for seafood or lighter Mediterranean cuisine, but it drinks nice on its own. I really have no idea if this will age but I would think it is better in its first couple of years.
This Vin Santo or "Holy Wine" is a blend of Assyrtiko 75% - Aidani 25% from Santorini, Greece. It is a very interesting Dessert wine, but, a little goes a long way. Brownish amber in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is big with prunes, toffee, figs, nuts, and coffee. Full bodied. Thick and viscous. On the palate, this is very sweet.
Greece is making some really good wines these days, both red and white. It seems the whites are finding more shelf space in wine stores though. This white, made from the Assyrtiko grape is very good. It is a higher end version and like many lovely whites, I question the need for a "serious" wine instead of just having a more "simple" wine. This wine is fermented in oak barrels for 12 months and then left to age another 12 months in bottle before release. The result is that this wine has more body and complexity but it loses the crispness and freshness that makes Santorini wines so enjo
Although summer has passed for this year, my wine of the summer was Assyrtiko from Santorini. There are many different producers and I didn't have a bad one. Very pale silvery gold in color. Light bodied. A slightly oily texture. This has a bit of lemon/lime citrus but its really more about the smoke and minerality. Good acidity. Long finish. This has some depth to it. I have no idea if these can age or not, but the energy and brightness are not likely to last, so I would drink in the next year or two. This will go well with sea food and salads and even lighter fowl dishes.
If you don't know this grape and/or this producer, you should.
