Assyrtiko Speaks - Two Gems from Santorini

As the son of a diner waitress, the closest thing I came to Greek culture as a child and teenager was feta cheese and spinach omelletes.  Now that I live around the corner from Pithari, one of the best BYOs in New Jersey, I have come to love not only traditional Greek family cooking, but all warmth and conviviality that comes with it from the staff.  And for nearly two years now, I have been bringing my own wine to my favorite quasi-Mediterranean outpost, but none of it was Greek in origin.  Considering my love of pairing regional food with regional wine, I must admit that it took me far too long to discover the hidden treasures that come from the island of Santorini.  

Santorini is not only a vacation destination, it is the home of the lovely sounding white grape - Assyrtiko.  Not much is written about Assyrtiko. Oz Clarke, in his indispensable guide, Grapes and Wines only dedicates a few sentences to the grape as he describes it as the flavor profile as, “steely, minerally fruit, high acidity and good length.” Jancis Robinson adds that the grape is a “top quality variety” that can “age very well.” Both rightfully point to Santorini as the home of Assyrtiko. And in the eyes of this wine drinking writer, the most important qualification for a wine to be considered truly great is for it to speak from where it's made.  Typicity goes a long way in my book.  But it's the atypically delicious wine that rises to the top.  Two such wines came my way a couple of weeks ago.  

First was the 2008 Assyrtiko (100%) from San…Torini Winery.  The winery, founded by Artemis Karamolegos in 1952, specializes in indigenous grape varietals, including Assyrtiko, Mavrotragano, Aidani, Mavrathiro and Voudomato. As for the Assyrtiko bottling, on the nose, fresh lemons and hints of mandarin jump out of the glass. The same fresh citrus fruit is vibrant on the palate with a reserved ripeness level. On the back palate and finish, fresh tropical notes (somewhere between peach and mango) develop and linger with balanced acidity.   The wine carries on for awhile. Texturally, there is a creamy note that comes from the stirring of the wine on the less during maturation. One of the last notes that I jotted down when I tasted last week is that this wine is focused, but open. It’s not quite angular or singular, but the balance of fruit, alcohol and acidity keeps the wine in harmony.
 

The second wine, a blend of Assyrtiko (75%) and Athiri (25%) hails from Domaine Sigalas. If the selection from San…Torini Winery was a wake-up call to the delights that can be found in a bottle of Assyrtiko, then this selection from Domaine Sigalas proves that world class wine can be found in the Cyclades. As was the case with the ’08 from San…Torini Winery, the Sigalas offering jumped out of the glass when I first poured it out – fresh lemons, limes with underlying hints of minerality fill the aromatics. The same citrus notes follow on the palate, but there are also notes of pear and other stone fruits. And then I realized that both wines have an amazingly similar note to them – both have a lemon cream note that remains on the palate and finish. To me, this is how I am going to remember what Assyrtiko can taste like in a blind lineup. And the creamy texture and high-toned lemony notes separates this wine and give it a typicity that is similar to a well-made, focused Sauvignon Blanc, minus the herbal notes.
 

I never use scores, grades or other silly ratings in my wine reviews. I think they are lazy and it’s similar to rating baseball players. Mattingly had the bat, but Hernandez the glove, so who was the better first baseman? Yankees and Mets fans will debate forever who was the better of the two, but is either head or shoulders above the other? In terms of ‘rating’ these two wines, I have this to say – they are delicious and I would order them again in a heartbeat. I prefer the Sigalas to the San…Torini offering, but that is a matter of taste, not superiority. I think what’s most important during this exercise in particular is that Assyrtiko should be taken seriously and both wines prove that top-notch wine is available from Greece. Their economy might be in tatters, but the future of their wines has never looked brighter. I have always maintained that the best wines in the world have a sense of place. Well made Assyrtiko speaks of Santorini and next time you shuffle into your favorite wine bar or retail shop, be sure to have a glass from one of the producers above to learn about a little volcanic island through its wine.

*I received both these bottles as samples.  I sought them out and took them without obligation to write nice things about them.  I hardly ever write wine reviews (I don't have the time) and I really only make time to write about wine that blows what little hair I have left back.