2023 Vassaltis Assyrtiko Santorini

This is the proverbial bread and butter wine by Vassaltis Vineyards, with 25,000 bottles created. The 2023 Santorini Assyrtiko is fermented in steel tank, with eight to 10 months on the lees in steel with frequent stirring. The grapes do not come from a specific site; however, old vines (60 years old and more from the island's typical sandy soils that are poor in nutrients) are given priority. It offers a fleshed-out mouthfeel with medium fruit weight and pretty aromas of summer peach, oat bread and sea salt. Proprietor Yannis Valambous says the idea is "to grow the body of the wine," and his emphasis is on mouthfeel. You feel those results in this vintage.