We are thrilled to share the good news with you.
The 1992 Estate Argyros Vinsanto 20 years barrel aged was awarded with 100 points in the Wine & Spirits magazine issue August 2018.
“The tradition of Vinsanto on Santorini predates the sweet wine of Tuscany by the same name. Yiannis Argyros, who took over his family’s estate in 1974, gave careful consideration to the grapes that went into his Vinsanto, paying especial attention to the honeyed aidani and floral athiri, two grape varieties that play a supporting role to the assyrtiko that forms the wine’s base. He also instituted an aging regimen in small, old barrels to create complex Vinsantos. This one, released by his son Mattheos, who now runs the estate, took at least two months to ferment, due to the sweetness of the sun-dried grapes, and then mellowed in barrel for 20 years. With 255 grams per liter of residual sugar, it’s technically incredibly sweet. But in the midst of the cathedral of rich flavors—dark, figgy fruit building into notes of dried cherries, salt, herbs and candied orange peel—there’s a beam of acidity that brings light and openness to the wine’s structure. The wine feels at once fresh and mature—or ageless, really. Argyros’s best Vinsantos can age for 30 years or more: This is one of them.”
“A blend of assyrtiko with ten percent each athiri and aidani, picked ripe, sun-dried and aged in barrel for 12 years, this was bottled in 2013. It’s as creamy and dense as a warm salted caramel, with a similarly luxurious texture, and it’s packed with flavor, from fresh apricot to notes of burnt orange, cinnamon, leather and citrus zest that take the edge off the sweetness. Heady and concentrated, this will age well for decades.”
“An assyrtiko blended with small amounts of athiri and aidani, this is earthy and saline, with a touch of nuttiness that gives it a sun-warmed feeling. Gravelly and firm, it ends searingly dry, cleansed by a crisp, citrusy acidity.”
“This is ripe and round, but its honeycomb richness is suffused with a chalky minerality that keeps it firm, and the acidity wraps it all tightly. Hunkered down into itself, this has impressive structure; it just needs time to relax and show more detail.”
“Matthew Argyros crafts this wine from his oldest vines and vinifies about ten percent in used oak barrels. It feels electric, as if the acidity is illuminating the wine from inside, giving the lemony fruit a crisp snap. Any richness from the oak reads only in the wine’s embrace, emanating a warmth like sun off stones. It’s ready now, for a grilled whole fish.”
“This pale pink rosé gets its color from 20 percent mandilaria blended into a base of assyrtiko. The combination works brilliantly in 2016, tangy lemon and chalky minerality pushing the cherry fruit forward before a whoosh of refreshing acidity cleans everything up. It has drive and energy, and the savory flavors to work well with grilled fish.”
“Vino di Santorini” is the naturally sweet wine of Santorini, known all over the world as Vinsanto. Vinsanto is made only by white sundried grapes. The grapes are carefully stretched under the Santorinian sun for approximately two weeks. Then we age it in French oak barrels for up to 20 years.
The final blending follows, according to the secret recipe of the Estate Argyros, which passes from generation to generation and is the key element for the recognition and success of our Vinsanto wine worldwide.
