2018 Santo Assyrtiko Santorini Greece

Founded in 1947, this cooperative has some 1,200 grower-members, giving winemaker Nikos Varvarigos access to a wide variety of terroirs. For this cuvee, he prioritized fruit from Pirgos and Imerovigli, two of the highest points on the island, where the grapes ripen more slowly. This was particularly relevant in 2018, the earliest harvest he'd ever seen in his 33 years of winemaking. Vinified in stainless steel and left for 14 months on its lees, it's a lush, expansive Santorini from its sunny lemon scents to its mouthfilling texture. The flavors are ripe, from pineapple to golden raisin, yet they're balanced by a strong mineral impression, like the scent of hot sand. It holds its form and flavors for days after the bottle is opened, the powerful structure promising that this will just get more complex with age. Whenever you open it, make sure you have some lamb or meaty fish on hand. *Best Buy* (8/2020)

Santo Wines was founded in 1947 as the Union of Santorini Cooperatives and represented all Santorini wineries. Today, Santo Wines is the biggest producer on the island. The new, state-of-the-art winery was built in 1992 and is situated on the edge of the Caldera in the village of Pyrgos. Santo Wines, representing all of the producers on the island, is committed to producing authentic Santorini wines of superior quality while respecting the Santorini traditional vinification techniques and protecting the precious Santorini vineyards. They developed their own Research and Development Department to regularly launch special projects to evaluate methods to improve cultivation techniques, vinification processes, and varietal quality.