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Wine is as good as life to a man, if it be drunk moderately: what life is then to a man that is without wine? for it was made to make men glad.
—Ecclesiasticus, ch. 38, v. 1
(Our sample bottle was purchased by us at standard retail.)
Note thast this wine was formerly designated Alpha Estate "Axia", so if you run across references to Axia Malagouzia, this is it.
Alpha Estate "Turtles Vineyard" Malagouzia comes from, surprise, Malagouzia grapes from the single "Turtles" vineyard. It was vinified without crushing and left on the lees (with stirring) for two months.
Alpha Estate Malagouzia is reasonably widely available, including from some large online retailers, at prices running from $15 up to $22, averaging (per Wine Searcher Pro) about $18.
(Note that this variety is also often spelled "Malagousia", or even "Malagoussia"; there seems no pattern to the usages.)
Mind, we tasted this while both of us had colds, so we were reaching a bit for the aroma and flavor qualities through stuffy noses. Even so, though, we think we got enough to form opinions.
The wine exhibited what we take, making due allowance, to be modest to moderate aromas and flavors, mainly of a generally floral nature. The body was medium, but the most striking characteristic was the definite acidity. Curiously, the wine had a slight but noticeable pétillance, which added a bit to its charm. It was just edging off true dryness; it wasn't actually off dry, but one senses that that is what it would like to be when it grows up (just a figure of speech there).
In general, we have been somewhat disappointed by Malagousia as a varietal. None of the ones we've tried has really had any defect or deficiency, but none of the advertised qualities— "especially aromatic", "elegant", "exciting aromas of exotic fruits, citrus, jasmine and mint"— have shown up, and by now the roll call is large enough that it's hard to attribute it all to mere bottle variation (though that there is, to be sure). Or, as a note at the CellarTracker reviews below suggests, maybe the 2013 we tried was just an off year for this particular wine.
Since that was written, our general opinion of the variety has been changed by the Gerovassiliou Malagousia mentioned below, which was a very fine drink.
If you haven't tried this variety yet, we'd suggest the Gerovassiliou Malagousia as a first step (though it's not inexpensive). After that, you can venture to the Alpha or Zafeirakis or or Porto Carras or Avantis or whichever else catches your fancy and see if you can discover more in them than we have found so far.
On CellarTracker.
On Wine Searcher's Tasting Notes page.
Of some major wine-review sites:
(2013 vintage), 90 points:
Coming in at 13% alcohol, it was tank-fermented and bottled on November 11, 2013. Tasted somewhat more than 90 days later, it was showing quite well, projecting nice viscosity in its youth. The lovely aromatics and flavors I’ve come to expect were on display, too: oranges, muted and perhaps cut by some hints of pear. Showing good density for this grape (winemaker Angelo Iatridis said the “nice body” was notable in the vintage) and continuing to flesh out in the glass, it finishes lightly, but nicely, with all its parts, including acidity, well- integrated. It also finishes with delicious bursts of fruit.
(2012 vintage), 90 points:
It comes in at 13% alcohol. Rather full bodied and relatively lush relative to what I see for some bottlings from the grape, this has a lovely mouthfeel, nice texture and well integrated components, finishing with crispness and purity. The herbaceous notes common to many bottlings are in the background here. It has an elegant and persistent feel, lingering longer on the finish that you might think from the first impression. Seen a bit later this year, it certainly seems more expressive, more transparent and more open. It really grew on me as it aired. It may last longer than I think, but there is no reason to hold this and it may not hold long at peak.
(2013 vintage), 87 points
(2012 vintage), 88 points:
A medium-bodied white, with effusive nectarine, peach, apricot and pear flavors that feature touches of richness. The creamy finish is lively and spicy.
(2010 vintage), 88 points
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This page was last modified on Monday, 23 March 2020, at 3:52 pm Pacific Time.