Vassaltis Vineyards Assyrtiko Plethora 2020 750ml

The 2020 Plethora is all Assyrtiko aged in neutral barrels previously used for Vinsanto and left without topping off for nine months. It comes in dry and at 15.1% alcohol. As noted in the past, this is what founder Yannis Valambous called an "old traditional vinification," meaning the grapes are picked overripe, the barrels are not topped off, the alcohol is higher than normal and there might be a slight oxidative nuance. That sounds like a Nykteri, and that is more or less the point. I've liked the trajectory Vassaltis has been on since I first saw them, but this, the most expensive of the submissions, is the odd duck and perhaps an exception. You'll either like it or you won't. I personally would pass this year, but that's personal taste. Oxidative and perhaps not so slight, as there is a hint of Sherry, this announces "I'm big" almost all the time. There's alcohol and power and concentration. For all of that, it is rather stern. All that is left is to make something I actually want to drink, and the balance is not so impressive. Now, if you pair this with appropriate foods, you may well get a different result. The power here might cut fatty cheeses while the cheeses cover up the oddities. The oddities may be deliberate here, but that doesn't make this any easier to quaff. Your mileage may differ—and this very much is a divisive wine that will draw strong and varying personal reactions. For me, I can't see spending this amount of money for a wine that shows like this when the winery has so many other lovely offerings for a lot less.