2016 Sigalas Assyrtiko Santorini Greece

The 2016 Assyrtiko is unoaked and comes in at 14% alcohol. One of the island's benchmarks, this is always in fine form these days-and always rather hard to evaluate when it is young. Deceptively, this bottling doesn't seem intimidating on first taste, but it always hides many layers. I tend to decant them or taste them again the next day when they are young. Otherwise, you tend to miss too much. Wonderfully elegant and finishing with a salty nuance, this shows impeccable balance. Its best feature is the lingering and intense finish, with plenty of tension and grip. It has far more power than it seems on a casual sip and that power doesn't go away as the wine airs and warms. I tried it the next day, in fact, and it put on weight, absorbed the salt and showed even more power. Two days later, it still preened in its power and precision, fresh as a daisy and wholly unevolved. (The salt was back, too.) The gripping finish that coated the palate was simply impressive. This is another beauty from Sigalas, something that has a lot of upside potential still. Granting that I do not have them side by side, this might even be superior to the 2015. It's hard to overlook the superlative combination of concentration and intensity. If nothing else, it is a worthy competitor to the 2015 and fully its equal. (MS)