Vassaltis Vineyards Plethora: A Bold Expression of Santorini Assyrtiko
It might be trite, given how many different grapes grow in Greece, but I love Assyrtiko. Love it, love it, love it. And while I’ve recently started coming around to mainland Assyrtiko, my heart will always be on Santorini.
It was my great privilege to work for a time with Vassaltis Vineyards, one of the best wineries on Santorini. I learned so much working with them, and walked away with some of their incredible wines, including the Gramina, Santorini, and the Vassaltis Vineyards Plethora.
Vassaltis Vineyards
One of the youngest wineries on the island, Yannis Valambous established Vassaltis Vineyards in 2014. Vassaltis produces a wide range of wines, most of them 100% or at least featuring Assyrtiko. On an island dedicated almost entirely to this one grape, how do you stand out? Valambous believes the answer to that is traditional but sustainable evolution and growing on the roots planted by previous generations. He knows that he receives the benefit of hundreds – even thousands – of years of winemaking history on the island and strongly feels the burden of making sure that wine can still be made there hundreds of years in the future.
A number of my friends don’t love Santorini Assyrtiko, claiming that the acidity is so high that it will “strip your teeth of enamel” or “rip off your face”. Quite vivid and not inaccurate descriptions really. I must say that I don’t actually mind that in a wine…but that’s not the style they aim for at Vassaltis.
They like to do things differently at Vassaltis. For example, contrary to tradition, they’re putting their Assyrtiko on a trellis. One of their wines is a red that has a small amount of Assyrtiko added. And the Assyrtiko they do make is not of the face/teeth stripping variety. They work towards more fruit, more finesse, more elegance.
Assyrtiko
Practically synonymous with Santorini, Assyrtiko is possibly one of the greatest white grape varieties in the Mediterranean. Its immense popularity has not only resulted in the grape’s spread across Greece (and even outside!) but also greatly contributed to the rise and popularity of Greek wine overall.
Assyrtiko is resistant to most diseases and to drought, especially important on Santorini. The vine’s hardwood contributes to its flexibility helping it to withstand strong winds. Famously, most vineyards on Santorini, especially the old ones, house vines trained in baskets, or kouloura and kladeftiko. This style of training provides further protection from the island’s intense winds while also collecting morning dew, some years the only precipitation the vines get.
Wines from Assyrtiko, especially those from Santorini, show high alcohol balanced by often searing acidity. It is more of a textural variety, emphasizing extract, body and structure, rather than an aromatic grape. Often austere in its youth, classic, unoaked Assyrtiko offers flavors of citrus, green apple, stone fruit, sea spray, and minerality while wines from outside Santorini keep the crispness but it shows a greater level of primary fruit aromas and a less dense structure.
It is a versatile grape that takes well to many different winemaking techniques. The classic unoaked and taut style can be tamed by extended lees ageing, while oak ageing rounds out the acidity and adds a creamy complexity. Some producers have also started experimenting with wine aged in vessels such as cement eggs and clay amphora. Skin contact/amber Assyrtiko wines are also on the rise with several remarkable examples coming out of mainland Greece.
Vassaltis Vineyards Plethora, 2020
Winemaker Yiannis Papaeconomou really puts his all into the Vassaltis Vineyards Plethora. Vassaltis harvests overripe bunches of Assyrtiko for the Plethora and ferments in stainless steel. Papaeconomou matures the wine in barrels that are not topped up, allowing for a gentle oxidation. After twelve months in the barrels, the wine is bottled and cellared for two years before its release.
This wine … is a lot. A full-bodied wine with huge concentration and structure wrapped up in racy acidity. At its core, flavors of citrus peel and preserved lemon decorated with salt-encrusted flowers and aromatic herbs, all hinting at an earthiness that will grow more pronounced as it ages. And it will age. I’m just not a patient person and couldn’t hold on to this any longer.
A serious wine needs serious food behind it. I made a twist on tsigariasto – lamb stewed in white wine – and added some of the last of the season’s apricots. I love savory fruit dishes and, while the wine and the tsigariasto would have gone together well enough, adding the apricots took it over the top. Beautiful pairing.
The Quick and Dirty Guide to Greek Wine
I’ve been inspired for some years now by Greek wine. This country-wide renewal in interest of native varieties (beyond Assyrtiko, Agiorgitiko, and Xinomavro) is to be both commended and hopefully emulated elsewhere. It also motivated me to create The Quick & Dirty Guide to Greek Wine!
Available now in paperback on Amazon, by special order in Turkey. Aslo now available as an e-book!
No Comments