Winemaker Notes
Straw blonde color with light shades of green, with a subtle nose ofcitrus fruit. Excellent structure with a depth of flavor and high acidity, which brings the flavors to the front and adds freshness, with a lasting after-taste. Has the characteristic minerally taste of an world class Assyrtiko.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Assyrtiko, Sigalas' monovarietal Santorini, comes in at 14% alcohol. If this isn't the unoaked wine of the vintage so far, it is pretty close and certainly on my short list. As always, Sigalas is not necessary the big blockbuster, but the winery provides superb concentration in its own right. Yet, the result always seems very graceful. When you realize how many layers there are, it seems hard to believe because it shows so well on first taste. It doesn't seem overly big. It doesn't seem to be hiding anything. Yet, it is. The wine always shows better with a few years in the cellar, or a day or two later. (Or, decant it. Do an experiment: taste half a bottle undecanted and compare to a decanted half bottle.) The tastings on the second day were really what sold on me this. It was fine on the first day, but impressive on the second. The concentration, finesse, balance and structure always serve this wine in good stead. This year, its purity of fruit seems even more impressive. It is a gorgeous Sigalas, mingling understatement, fine persistence and purity. Do yourself a favor and give this about three years in the cellar (maybe five). They always blossom. It is a wine that will not only hold, but improve. As I've stated recently, this category needs some reevaluation upwards, so it is not really that this is so unique. That said, this is still an exceptional Sigalas.
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Wine & Spirits
At first this is all chalk and acid, as severe as the sun glaring off Santorini's whitewashed houses. But then an aftershock of of fruit floods the mouth, the lemony flavors turning juicy and almost honeyed in their intensity. The acidity remains crunchy all the while, a mouthwatering contrast if you open it now, and a promise of freshness if you choose to cellar it. I would do both, buying enough to lay it down for another 10 years.
A crisp white variety full of zippy acidity, Assyrtiko comes from the volcanic Greek island of Santorini but is grown increasingly wide throughout the country today. Assyrtiko’s popularity isn’t hard to explain: it retains its acid and mineral profile in a hot climate, stands alone or blends well with other grapes and can also withstand some age. Somm Secret—On the fairly barren, windswept Mediterranean island of Santorini, Assyrtiko vines must be cultivated in low baskets, pinned to the ground. The shape serves to preserve moisture and protect the growing grapes in its interior.
DMDDMDSIST15_2015_2015 Item# 151225