We don’t pay enough attention to Greek wine. I have had several recently that I found impressive. This is a blend of Assyrtiko (75%), a high acid grape and Greece’s most prominent white grape variety, and the softer, more fruity Athiri (25%), a grape often used to make retsina.
The wine is just pure intensity on the palate.
The nose shows assertive lemon notes on a pear background and the wonderful aromatics of salt air. In the mouth a layer of flinty minerality and sweet pear sits on a bed of prominent dry extract which gives the wine a scintillating, textured mouthfeel. The wine feels light at first but acquires volume at midpalate launching a long, full-bodied finish with salty/sweet melodrama and acidity sharp as a sword cut.
A deliciously bold but tense, angst-filled wine, intense and confrontational. It pairs nicely with the femme-fierce collaboration of Gaga and Queen Bey
Technical Notes: Organic vineyards located in Imerovigli, a sub region of Oia Santorini. Soils are volcanic ash and lava. Fermented in stainless steel, 50% whole cluster.
Score: 92
Price: $25
Alc: 14%
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 
With a few years aging the Assyrtiko settles into something quite noble; less energetic, more aromatic, a bit fleshier. It’s quite a bargain. I’ve enjoyed both Sigalas versions, and while the blend is more user friendly at release, I favor the pure Assyrtiko style with a little age.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for commenting. Yes, I was really impressed. It was remarkable how much flesh it seemed to acquire in the mouth. I will look for the Assyrtiko and lay it down for a few years.