My first recollection of Paris Sigalas is from another life His winery was the basement of his beachfront house where he still lives today He posed somewhat bewildered for a portrait shot for my longstanding photographer Kostantinos Pittas Located in northeastern Santorini this artisan winemaker offers a distinctly different wine style to that of the other wineries on the island mostly located on the southern slopes of Episkopi Pyrgos and Megalochori Initially he also sourced grapes from Imerovigli Greek for watchtower altitude 280 m overlooking the Caldera His Santorini was and still is lemony and honeyed
Summer 2010 visit number 23 to this unique island vineyard I stopped off again at the Sigalas winery long ago moved out of the beachfront house Here I got a first glimpse of this then yettobereleased singlevineyard wine Tasted it from tank Leesy and quirky my Moleskin notebook reads tastes like nothing else
On my recent visit to Sigalas I had the opportunity to taste it bottled My terroir jigsaw puzzle had another piece or so I thought Cold sweat gripped me as the realization hit me Impervious to the Greek economy meltdown building construction continues unabated on this motherofallterroirs I lack the time to research public records to establish the number of hectares of this highly regarded vineyard that have disappeared under the cement of a now prime real estate location We should be grateful to Paris Sigalas for bottling this 22hectare singlevineyard located at Imerovigli How much longer these vines will survive is another story I urge all of you fellow terroir boy and girlscouts to squirrel some away Watch it unfold its distinct character and style One other thing Focus on the silhouette outline embossed on the bottle label of the late Kir Giorgos the farmer who tended this vineyard for over half a century and gave this place its name Turn it upside down it might be easier if you are reading this on a tablet clever
Green tints Pink grapefruit aroma Intensely yeasty Honey and stones on the aftertaste A fullbodied bold wine Very different to any other bonedry Santorini on the market More suitable for coldweather pairing with grilledmeat enjoyment Carafe it for at least two hours or give it the refrigerator test by sipping it over a week There is a lot in there Best 20112017
Wine: Sigalas Kavalieros
Year: 2009
Link: http://www.sigalas-wine.com/
Score: 17
Type: White
Variety: Assyrtiko
Area: Aegean Islands