- 80% Assyrtiko, 10% Athiri,10% Aidani
- From ungrafted vines that are over 200 years old
- Grapes are sundried for 10 days
- Uninoculated fermentation in cement vats lasts for 8 months
- Aged 3 years in cement vat, followed by 4 years in neutral French oak of varying sizes
Info
Producer:
Vintage:
2017
Country:
Greece
Region:
Santorini
Appellation:
Santorini
Variety:
Assyrtiko-based Blend
Color:
White
Sizes Available
| Half Liter | GR-ARG-80-17F | 6/500ml |
Resources
Press & Reviews
Decanter
Score
96
Date
2026-06-01
"DWWA 2026 Gold Medal: Engaging dark chocolate mousse, date, honeyed walnut and biscoff aromas flatter the nose and nestle into the juicy palate, besieged with orange blossom and espresso lift."
Wine Advocate
Score
94
Date
2026-06-25
"The Estate Argyros 2017 Santorini Vinsanto First Release is a beautifully balanced expression of Santorini's historic sweet wine. Made from 80% Assyrtiko, 10% Athiri and 10% Aidani from ungrafted vines more than 200 years old in Episkopi, the wine shows a caramelized color with aromas of cola, rosemary, dried herbs, candied mango and dark caramel. The palate is thick, viscous and unctuous, yet it never feels heavy thanks to a vibrant thread of acidity that emerges on the finish. Notes of dried fruit and a subtle Sherry-like complexity are carried across a silky texture, while a powdery chalk nuance lingers at the close. Produced in 12,000 bottles, the wine spends three years in cement tanks followed by four years in a combination of French and old Russian oak casks. Despite its considerable sweetness and concentration, the wine remains remarkably poised, with enough acidity and freshness to keep every sip in balance. It is a large-scale dessert wine, certainly, but one that avoids excess."
REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES
2016
James Suckling
Score
96
Date
2026-03-12
"A very rich and complex sweet wine offering aromas of dates, sea buckthorn, sweet spices, tangerine peel and a touch of peppercorns. Full-bodied and layered, offering sweet fruit and a savory, spicy edge lifted by vivid acidity. Beautifully balanced and long, with a bitter tea leaf note in the finish. Drink or hold."
2016
Wine Advocate
Score
94
Date
2024-12-19
"The Estate Argyros 2016 Santorini Vinsanto First Release (in a 500-milliliter bottle) is made with sun-dried grapes and delivers honey, apricot jam, dried fig and sesame seed paste. I also get hints of toasted rye bread or sweet oats. This syrupy dessert wine reveals a light brown color that looks like unpolished copper, and its shows a very rich, sugary mouthfeel with an almost dusty or velvety texture. It is powered by a moderate 13% alcohol content and 200 grams per liter of residual sugar. But don't understate that freshness; in the case of this wine, it tastes like freshly squeezed blood orange."
2016
Vinous
Score
93
Date
2025-12-30
"With 250 grams per liter of residual sugar, the 2016 Santorini Vinsanto First Release is based on grapes that were sun-dried for ten days prior to fermentation. Pronounced molasses, caramel and dates rise up from the glass, accompanied by minty shadings. Lusciously textured and concentrated, the 2016 is neatly balanced by steely acidity that provides lift and energy throughout. This checks out with endurance on the complex finish."
2016
Wine Spectator
Score
91
Date
2025-05-19
"An intriguing version, with aromas and flavors of medicinal herbs, spices and quinine that suggest a digestif, but the lightly mouthcoating, silky texture and notes of raspberry and blood orange pate de fruits, rich toffee pudding, and date lean more toward a sweetie. Integrating a bright frame of acidity and a salty underpinning, this is well-meshed and lingering on the palate. - AN"
2015
Decanter World Wine Awards
Score
97
Date
2024-05-20
"Best in Show: Thanks to centuries of Venetian trading influence, the wines of Santorini were initially celebrated as strong and sweet (made from dried grapes), thus easily able to withstand the rigours of long sea journeys. Their adoption as the wine of the Eucharist by the Orthodox Church added to their lustre as a Ávino santo,. This astonishing Assyrtico is a representative of this tradition. It,s a deep russet-walnut in colour, with waxy, incense-like aromas which almost seem to evoke the interior of Orthodox churches. The flavours are deep, dense and close-knit. The balance, too, is riveting † thanks to extravagant sugars (250 g/l), offset by the distinctive acid cut of Assyrtico and an oxidative, Árancio, tang and tannic grip, the legacy of long wood-ageing processes. Classic Santorini salinity adds a further layer to this unique wine experience. "
2015
James Suckling
Score
93
Date
2023-10-03
Decanter
Score
98
Date
2024-10-05
"One of the oldest producers on the island and master of the sweet vinsantos, Estate Argyros makes a sweet wine from sundried grapes, giving pronounced flavours of prunes, figs and sultanas. On the palate, toffee and caramel are balanced by high acidity and mineral notes. The finish is long and evolving. From a 200-year-old plot in Episkopi."
Decanter World Wine Awards
Score
97
Date
2024-05-20
"Best in Show: Thanks to centuries of Venetian trading influence, the wines of Santorini were initially celebrated as strong and sweet (made from dried grapes), thus easily able to withstand the rigours of long sea journeys. Their adoption as the wine of the Eucharist by the Orthodox Church added to their lustre as a Ávino santo,. This astonishing Assyrtico is a representative of this tradition. It,s a deep russet-walnut in colour, with waxy, incense-like aromas which almost seem to evoke the interior of Orthodox churches. The flavours are deep, dense and close-knit. The balance, too, is riveting † thanks to extravagant sugars (250 g/l), offset by the distinctive acid cut of Assyrtico and an oxidative, Árancio, tang and tannic grip, the legacy of long wood-ageing processes. Classic Santorini salinity adds a further layer to this unique wine experience."
James Suckling
Score
93
Date
2023-10-03