Pale straw color; lime, spring flowers on the nose; lime-lemon, passion fruit, flint, saline-minerality on the palate.
Dry; low-to-no tannins; very sharp acidity (2.9 pH in previous vintage). Small amount of oak. Medium body. Intense citrus, especially lime-lemon. Made with assyrtiko grapes. Grapes harvested from two of Argyros’s oldest low-production vines. Juice fermented in temperature-controlled stainless for three weeks, partially uninoculated. Seventy-five percent finished 30 months in stainless steel vats, on the lees, with occasional batonnage. Twenty-five percent finished 12 months in French oak barriques (59-gallon barrels) with occasional batonnage, then added to the wine in the stainless steel. 15% ABV
Santorini presents wine growers with testing conditions. The island is a reversed-C-shaped land mass in the Aegean sea. It was created by volcanic activity 18,000 years ago—the west-facing harbor is the caldera—making the soil black and porous. The topography provides hot, dry summers with strong Meltemi winds and ameliorated by cooling night fogs. Vineyards are centuries old, and the vines grow on original rootstock since phylloxera never reached the area. Vines are trained in the koulourva “basket” training system rather than traditional methods as further protection from the difficult conditions. The result is a wine with intense minerality, vivid terroir, delicious, and distinctive flavors. Superb acidity makes for very food-friendly, age-worthy wines.
The vines grow close to the ground and not more than waist-high. That protects them from the bright sun and strong, salt-laden winds. The shape also funnels moisture to the center of the vine. After a century or so, some vines lose vigor and the grape growers cut the vines near ground level and graft new vines to the old roots. Most roots are more than 500 years old. This wine is made from 150-200-year old vines.
The island of Santorini is gorgeous, with white and blue houses and hotels built into seaside cliffs. It is a very popular resort and cruise ship destination. Less than 20,000 people are permanent residents, some 1,500 are engaged in growing grapes. There some 20 wineries on the island. Grapes and wine are the island’s main agricultural product. Estate Argyros is the largest private owner of vineyards in Santorini.
Estate Argyros Cuvée Evdemon Santorini 2019 is wonderful example of assyrtiko wine from the Greek volcanic island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea. The low-production vines deliver clean, intense citrus flavors. An assyrtiko wine should be on every wine lover’s bucket list, and this is an impressive example; refreshing, varietally spot-on. With its ripping acidity, assyrtiko wine is an extremely versatile food wine, but it particularly shines paired with seafood and shellfish; grilled octopus, crab, shrimp, garlic prawns, seafood antipasta. Greece’s tomato-feta salad is classic; feta and olives; fried vegetables; lamb, chicken, and pork with herbs. Cheese—feta made with sheep or goat’s milk is classic; fresh goat cheeses, parmigiano-reggiano, haloumi, graviera. $60
