Santorini

This is a refreshing white wine from Greece made from 100% Assyrtiko grapes.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons, salinity/sea air and a hint of peach.  Light to medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, lemons and minerality.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own but is probably better with food.  Fish would be great, but  it worked well with roasted peppers and hummus.  drink over the next three to five 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.

This is a traditional blend of Assyrtiko 85%, Athiri 10%, and Aidani 5%.  Nykteri means staying up all night and the grapes are pressed the night after harvesting.  Medium golden in color with some yellow hues, clear and bright.  The nose is great with lemons, floral notes, green apples and just the slightest hint of vanilla.  Medium bodied with wispy tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is round but still retains a fresh acidity.  Flavors of green apples with a touch of baking spices.  This is very concentrated and the finish is quite long.  Nice on its own, this is better with fo

This is 100% Assyrtiko from Santorini, Greece.  Wines from this grape are made in many different styles from crisp, light wines to very serious full bodied wines.  This is the later.  This is fermented in French oak and then aged 12 months in French oak barrels and another twelve months in stainless steel.  The vines are 150 to 200 years old and ungrafted.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is big with citrus, sea air, wet stones and slight orange peel.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is concentrated with lemon-lime notes and underlying  minerality.  Long finish.  This drinks

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.  

If you don't know this grape and/or this producer, you should.

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.