White Single Varietal over £10

And the winner is...

Argyros Estate, French Oak-Fermented

Assyrtiko, Santorini, Aegean Islands,

Greece 2010 (13.5%)

Restrained nose, sweet and spicy with juicy citrus

flavours. Lean and crisp but has flesh and weight too,

with a long mineral finish. Good ageing potential.

Not available in the UK. US: $22; USAi

With bot h hemispheres well represented in this hotly contested category, it was Greece that triumphed – a surprise, perhaps, to some readers, but recognition of the exciting developmentsthere in recent years. Founded in 1903, Argyros farms 30 hectares of volcanic Santorini soil. Yannis Argyros, the winemaker, celebrated his 40th harvest in 2010. Now 63 years old, he is a humble man of few words, whose son Mattheos will soon take over. This 100% Assyrtiko comes from ancient, ungrafted vines in its Episkopi vineyard. The soil – 90% black volcanic rock and 10% sandy ashes – is littered with pumice stones.

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