2016 Pure Santorini Assyrtiko

Fuller and softer than the non-estate version with greater depth of fruit but perhaps less immediate minerality. Much more impressive length, however. (RH)

The 2016 Assyrtiko has been seen before but at an earlier stage (about six months after bottling). Plus, this version is closed with cork, which I am told will be the case going forward, as the winery has decided it likes development under cork better. (The screwcap was, alas, an easy identifier separating this from the Estate Santorini Assyrtiko. In fact, apparently, the Stelvin closure was just for the USA market.) Whether a different bottling run (although I'm told it was just a day apart for the cork and screwcap production runs), the closure or just the effects of more time in the bottle, this doesn't seem as interesting today. For one thing, there's a flinty nuance, which I took to be reductive. That may well blow off—it often does—and decanting it tends to work too. Apart from that, it is very elegant, with a fresh and focused feel. The juicy finish has moderate tension and that stereotypical touch of saline. This is still very nice, but let's be a bit conservative just now and see if it starts developing again.

The 2016 Santorini Estate is all Assyrtiko, with 20% of the juice aged for five months in used French barrels, the rest in stainless steel. It comes in at 13.5% alcohol. This old-vines Assyrtiko (150 years or so of average age, although some vines might be a lot older than that) typically has concentration and complexity. The key here, though, is its freshness. The fruit soars easily above the wood on the finish, refusing to take a back seat. It has caressing texture, rolling around the palate nicely. Notwithstanding the wood, the finish has surprising fruit-forward purity and notable tension. That will only get better as the wine ages. It will be in pretty good balance by this coming summer—it came around well after being open for six hours (and it needed some time). Then, it should hold well for the better part of a decade or more. The hallmark of Argyros, I often think, is impeccable balance. Here's another fine example of that. Note: This Estate Santorini is all Assyrtiko, but it is distinguished from the regular, unoaked Assyrtiko by having SANTORINI in bigger lettering, as well as by its bottle shape (heavier) and having a cork, rather than a screwcap.