Vinsanto by Gaia

"Brown with ochre rim. Gorgeous coffee and burnt caramel nose. Unbelievable intensity, so rich and powerful and long but the balance of sweetness and freshness is stunning and that salty caramel finish is seductive and spell-binding. And still so full of vitality".

Julia Harding MW, for Jancis Robinson, Tasted in April 2017

Vineyard Information

Age of the Vines: 70-80 years

Harvest: Hand-harvested, rigorously sorted, into 20 kg crates.

Yield: 20hl/ha

Soil: Volcanic pumice

Winemaking Process

For “Vinsanto by Gaia”, the primary grape used us Assyrtiko with very small amounts of Athiri and Aidani. The Assyrtiko is hand harvested when ripe but undergoes a variation on the traditional process. A portion of the grapes are sun dried in the strong Santorini summer sun while another portion is shade dried to maintain relative fruit freshness.

The must is then placed in old casks to undergo fermentation which stops once the alcohol level reaches 13% to 14%, thus giving us a Natural Sweet Wine. The wine is then left to age in the fermentation casks previously used for white wine production for at least 10 years, so it can acquire its deep honey colour and complex aromas.

Vinsanto by Gaia is bottled without any fining or filtration.

Only some 2.500 bottles of 500ml are produced each vintage.

Tasting advice

Serving temperature: Enjoy this rare wine at 6-8oC

Ratings

2005 vintage, Robert Parker, 96 Pts.

2005 vintage, Jancis Robinson, MW Julia Harding, 19 points