Vassaltis Vineyards

Vassaltis (Greek for ‘basalt’, the compounded ash of which forms the underlying local soil stratum) is a rare bird on the contemporary Santorini scene. Amidst a dizzying profusion of labels and cuvées looking to cash in on the booming global demand for these inimitable (and not very large-production!) wines, Vassaltis is one of the only new producers (founded 2016) with an estate winery and vineyard holdings on the island, in this case the quiet, off-the-beaten-path village of Vourvoulos. Here, Yiannis Valambous, a young gun with family roots in Santorini, leads a team of ex-Sigalas enologists in producing chiseled, reductive, and electrifying wines that are gaining more converts each year.