If you know Santorini, you know “The Wizard of Wine,” Haridimos Hatzidakis. This was a mastermind who toiled for decades, conducting innovative, industry-leading work that still reverberates today. Considered by many to be the most talented winemaker to ever grace the island, he spent his life being a fearless champion for natural farming and low-intervention winemaking. His vinous creations first stunned locals in the ‘90s, followed by importers, before eventually making their way into top wine lists and retail shops around the world. Quite simply, the Assyrtiko grape would not enjoy the global fame it does today without him.

Although his untimely death in 2017 shocked the wine community, his close-knit team, led by his eldest daughter, Stella, forged ahead in his memory. We’re now two vintages removed from his passing, but the spirit of Haridimos still resonates strongly. One taste of today’s 2019 “La Familia” summons his lifelong dedication to perfecting Assyrtiko: organic vine work, low yields, labor-intensive farming, minimalist winemaking, and wines of formidable power, searing minerality, and divine opulence. Without a doubt, Hatzidakis continues to be among the most fascinating and underpriced wines in the world. 

Sometime between 1645 and 1500 BC, the volcanic eruption of Thera on modern-day Santorini became one of the largest seismic events in recorded history, leaving behind a crescent-like caldera in the midst of the Aegean. Believed to be over 100 times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the blast, among other natural fallout, discarded megatons of ash and lava that now make up the igneous soils of Santorini. I’m amazed that we’re able to offer wines like this—wines from places so extreme and remote it seems impossible that they’d be consumed, let alone known about, anywhere other than where they’re made. 

But here we are, offering up an evocative white from mythical Santorini, where seaborne breezes are so fierce that growers must fashion their vines into short, basket-like coils instead of training them on trellises. Vineyards on Santorini, rooted in infertile, ashy sands, look like rows of large nests, in which you might find dinosaur eggs instead of grapes. Many vines here are very old, sometimes hundreds of years, as Santorini is one corner of the world that never had to contend with the phylloxera louse that destroyed most of Europe’s vineyards generations ago (most of the places that escaped phylloxera had sandy and/or volcanic soils). 

Coming from organically farmed vines ranging from 15 to 18 years old, today’s 100% Assyrtiko is a masterclass on authenticity. While we typically associate oak with pricier, overall finer wines, that’s certainly not the case with Santorini: The best wines here age on their raw lees in stainless steel. “La Familia” fermented on indigenous yeasts, matured for six months in stainless, and was then bottled with low amounts of sulfur so as to best showcase the monumental power, tension, and acidity of Assyrtiko.  

It hardly ever rains on Santorini, and there’s no irrigation, so the vines grab what little moisture they can from the sea air. That unique trait is always perceptible in top-shelf Assyrtiko, like today’s 2019 “Familia.” Upon first sip, the taster will be blown back by a powerful defensive line of salty minerality, struck flint, and crushed volcanic rock. But this isn’t lean, angular, or mean—behind its towering mineral wall lies luxurious notes of white peach, roasted yellow apples, Meyer lemon, pineapple core, candied lime, pink grapefruit, citrus oil, and honeysuckle. In other words, this is an opulent, mineral-loaded white that fills every ounce of your mouth without saturating it. The best wines of the world are all about balance, energy, and precision regardless of ABV or climate, and “Familia” has it all in spades. You’ll be remembering this one long after the last ounce has been drained. Enjoy now in Burgundy stems and try savoring it a little warmer than your usual service temperature—you’ll be amazed at the nuances that come through. Cheers!