A beautiful aperitif and fish white from the Greek Island of Santorini. The Atlantis offers a softer version of the austere Assyrtiko grape, here blended with a other local grapes into a house style now gaining an international reputation on sheer quality for value. Even this 'entry-level' comes from vines of 60 years, grown on their original rootstock in the old Santorini style (low circular basket shapes to protect against the hot Island's harsh wind and sun). Thanks to natural acidity the wine emerges lemony and stoney-fresh, with effortless mineral cut, complexity and harmony. Think grilled fish.
From the volcanic Island of Santorini in Greece. Conditions here are so hard that the vine is trained in a circle to capture the dew at night such is the lack of rain. Of course these hard climatic factors are what makes these interesting and complex wines. "The Atlantis white; from Santorini but in the Cyclades appellation, is tank-fermented and aged. It is a blend of 90% Assyrtiko, with 5% each of the typical blending grapes on the island, Athiri and Aidani.
Reviews for previous vintages below…
16.0/20 & Good Value, Julia Harding, JancisRobinson.com (2021 Vintage)
"Real grip and competence. Exciting, nervy wine that may be GV."
90/100 Mark Squires, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2019 Vintage)
"The 2019 Atlantis is the winery's screw capped blend, mostly Assyrtiko, with 5% each of Athiri and Aidani, unoaked, dry (2.9 of residual sugar and 6.33 of total acidity) and coming in at 13.5% alcohol. It doesn't seem like so long ago that this would be a typical Santorini—lower in alcohol, crisper and more reasonably priced. (We'll ignore the blending grapes for the moment.) These days, in terms of both ripeness and price, things have escalated. Still, in its style, this is a nice value, fresh, focused and somewhat tense on the finish. It's a bit austere and compact, without the flavor that more ripeness can bring, but the fruit is beautifully lifted on the finish. It's glorious in its youthful freshness, a great warm-weather refresher. That is what it aims for. It succeeds. — If you're wondering what you get by trading up to the regular 2019 Santorini this issue, for another $10, that's easy—more ripeness and more flavor. It seems more concentrated too, although well balanced. This does its job well, though. Under screw cap, this should hold rather well, perhaps better than indicated. It's a nice buy. Drink 2020 – 2027."