ALPHA ESTATE | Malagouzia | Single Vineyard | 2019
malagousia

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Today we are going to review a very special wine, one that lingers in the shadow of its peers – Malagouzia Single Vineyard 2019 by Alpha Estate. This is a single-varietal Malagousia wine, which is a quite recent discovery, almost extinct and now very promising, that is capable of making elegant and aromatic wines, rich in style, almost like a cross between Viognier and Chardonnay, with peach, lime, and orange blossom and lemon oil all tied together with a soft, fruity finish. The grapes are sourced from the Florina region that is situated on the Amyndeon plateau in the North-Western Macedonia, where vines are grown at an altitude of 620-710 meters on sandy and sandy-clay soil over limestone with excellent drainage. The wine itself has been aged “sur lies” for at least two months with regular stirring in order to add more complexity and round up the wine’s body. That said, without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
___________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: translucent
color: yellow
clarity: bright
hue/rim: green

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits
__green fruits: green pear | green apple | gooseberry
__citrus fruits: sweet lemon | lime | lemon zest
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | herbal
__floral: acacia blossom | orange blossom
__herbal: green grass | straw grass | meadow
__wood: none
aroma: primary | secondary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: med(-)
__grip: ripe
body: round
balance: good
__dominant: acidity & alcohol
complexity: moderate

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: floral
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: appealingly crisp

//Scoring
ALPHA ESTATE | Malagouzia | Single Vineyard | 2019
variety: malagousia
country: Greece
region: Amyndeon
rating: 92.3

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime
verdict: great | a must try
___________________________________________________________________________
This is definitely a great wine of Greece and with a total of 92.3 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a very fine and quite aromatic Malagousia wine, that is right there, at the summit of its prime form – a wine that can certainly age for another year or two in the bottle. It tastes crisp, pleasantly seedy and slightly creamy, with very refreshing, mouth-watering acidity and just a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. The wine feels round, voluptuous and lean, with a quite complex and well structured body and a very fresh and appealing aftertaste. What makes it even more special, is that fact that it has been awarded 90 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, which is no small feat for a wine from Greece. All in all, this is an amazing single-varietal wine that is made of an almost extinct grape variety – a wine that will go very well with some fresh oysters and lemon. Enjoy!

___________________________________________________________________________
© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.