Congratulations to ESTATE ARGYROS, who has been honored as part of Wine & Spirits’ ‘Top 100 Wineries of 2018’ list!

Estate Argyros was selected by the Wine & Spirits editors because “[its] consistency across a range of wines makes them [a] great producer to explore, whether on wine lists, in specialty shops, or in your own private cellar.”
 
“MATTHEW ARGYROS makes some of Santorini’s finest modern white wines while upholding a tradition for long-lived Vinsantos….Today, Matthew oversees 300 acres of vines, 129 of those estate-grown. He uses that fruit to craft a range of wines, from Atlantis, a gently-priced Assyrtiko-based blend, to a rare single-vineyard Aidani and a barrel-fermented, estate-grown Santorini. He’s also the guardian of his father’s legacy with Vinsanto, the island’s sweet wine. YIANNIS ARGYROS was a perfectionist when it came to clean fruit, and a virtuoso in blending parcels to build complexity. After a long, slow fermentation with ambient yeasts followed by years of mellowing in small wooden barrels, his Vinsantos last for decades. Matthew works in the same vein, tending wines that have been aging in barrel since 1974, releasing them when he finds fit. This year, those releases included a 2001 and a 1992, stunning wines that speak to the distinctive character of this island’s terroir, as well as the talent and devotion of those who spend their lives working with it.” –Tara Q. Thomas

In “Top 100 Wines of 2018,” the Wine & Spirits’ editors select the top 100 wines that “capture our imagination, excite us, and make us want to share them with others.” Included on this year’s list:
 
Best Dessert

• ESTATE ARGYROS Vinsanto Argyros Aged 20 Years 1992 – 100 points
  
  “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.”