Herbs, Fruits, Flowers – What'll It Be?

In this article (in German) we already talked about the remarkable history of the Malagousia grape variety, which stood on the brink of extinction just a few decades ago and has since become a fixture of the Greek wine market. One of its strengths is certainly its aromatic versatility: in some wines it comes across like a classic aromatic variety, yet when harvested early it can also present a very fruity side. Then again, there are wines, such as the one from Giannikos Winery (more on the winery here (in German)), that tend quite clearly toward the herbal spectrum (a tasting note is available here (in German)). We have already discussed several versions on this website, but now we wanted to give the subject a somewhat more thorough treatment.

To that end, we set off on a virtual journey from the southwest of Greece near Pylos all the way up to the northeast, close to the border with Turkey. The wines will be presented below in ascending order of our ratings, zigzagging across the map. A few observations, though, we can share up front:

1. It is striking that, for all the variety's flexibility, the wines are on the whole quite similar. On first impression, it is very difficult to differentiate between the wines. In a typical international blind tasting, all of these wines would presumably land in the narrow band between 88 and 93 points. To detect differences in quality, you have to give the wines time. The concern expressed by Evangelos Gerovassiliou that the Greek market could be flooded with high-yield Malagousia wines at bargain-basement prices is therefore not entirely unfounded. On the other hand, you can hardly blame the winemakers for wanting to profit from the variety's forgiving character.

1. The heat waves of 2021 have left their mark on these wines. This shows at times in the alcohol, at other times in a lack of aromatic precision. Not all the wines are equally affected, but it confirms that 2021 is, on the whole, a weak Greek vintage.

1. As far as aromatic differentiation is concerned, we find it striking that, at least in this fairly random lineup, herbal notes rather clearly dominate. Only a few wineries venture into the floral spectrum. Perhaps because that ground is already covered by Moschofilero? And with one exception – the wine from Ktima Erithrou Rodou – these floral notes are all very restrained and need time to unfold. And as far as fruity wines are concerned, there was one big surprise as well as one big disappointment …

The Malagousia from Panagiotopoulos Wines comes from PGI Messinia (more specifically, PGI Trifilia) but sports PGI Peloponnese on the label as its designation of origin. For the 2020 vintage, it weighs in at a considerable 13%. The structure is accordingly somewhat creamy, and the acidity is not particularly relevant structurally – a weakness generally attributed to the Malagousia variety and a parameter in which it definitely lags behind the even better-known white grape variety Assyrtiko (on which see here (in German)). Accordingly, the two varieties are also frequently found together as a blend (on that, see just recently here (in German)). In this wine, despite the aforementioned creaminess, the low acidity leads to a certain wateriness compared with the other wines in the tasting. The nose is slightly spirity, showing a touch of alcoholic heat. Freshly opened, the wine is dominated by herbal notes, showing up here as damp straw. After a few days, however, a scent of roses does emerge. The finish is slightly lactic. All in all, a wine that seems a little undecided, but which nevertheless already earns a very good 15.5 points.

Also from PGI Peloponnese comes the Malagouzia of an estate located – naturally – in PDO Nemea: Nemea Winery. The 2021 vintage comes in at 12.5% and is characterized by decidedly mouth-filling acidity. On the palate, too, the wine is on the whole rather structurally driven. Even the attack is remarkably mineral, though one can debate whether that makes the wine any better. Nor does the finish bring much that is new aromatically. By way of compensation, the nose packs a real punch – black tea, citrus notes… iced tea, in short! We had never encountered that quite so distinctly before. The bottom line: a very good 16 points.

A two-hour drive to the northeast takes us to PGI Central Greece, to the Skoumpris Winery. The Malagouzia 2021 likewise has 12.5% alcohol and sits in a similar quality bracket. In terms of acidity, it ranks slightly above the wine from Panagiotopoulos Wines – although that one keeps building as it goes, whereas here there is less development. Aromatically, this wine also heads in a floral direction – though it is dried flowers that come to mind. Some perceive the finish as slightly bitter. We award a very good 16 points.

For the wines in the outstanding bracket, we return once more to the Peloponnese. There, in PGI Ilia, a stone's throw from ancient Olympia, lies the Olympia Land Estate. Just recently (in German) we had tried this winery's Assyrtiko from the 2020 vintage, and after that (in German) the blend of Assyrtiko and Malagousia as well. So now for the "missing link" – the single-varietal Malagousia 2020. The alcohol stands at 13%; the structure is shaped entirely by a pronounced, somewhat aggressive acidity. Not a trace of the oily-watery emulsion that you encounter, a straight shot 1.5 hours further south on the west coast of the Peloponnese, at Panagiotopoulos Wines. Add to that an astonishing sweetness, and with it a very good interplay of sweetness and acidity. The nose is dominated by honey; the finish is quite ripe, revealing quince above all. Overall, the house style wins out over varietal character here. We therefore award an outstanding 16.5 points with slight hesitation, but consider them, especially in direct comparison with the wines discussed above, ultimately very well justified.

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Things also got quite controversial in the tasting when it came to rating the Geometria Malagouzia from Lafazanis Winery (PGI Peloponnese). The winery had already sent us the 2020 vintage last year, and we tasted it then. Even at that point, the wine stood out for its great fruitiness, yet remained very much in the shadow (in German) of its "big brother" from Ktima Gerovassiliou. The fruit was more diffuse, not as focused on peach. Nor were the floral notes entirely suppressed; the impression was not as clear. On the palate, acidity and finish were merely average. At 12%, though, the wine at least had very respectable drive. At the time, we leaned toward a very good 16 points. In direct comparison with all the other contenders, however, the 2021, which we had bought specially to add to this tasting, put on quite a different performance. In doing so, the white Geometria sparks the same debates about how wine ought to be rated as its red counterpart does. This wine, too, is admittedly no great work of art, but it is incredibly delicious (in German) – and in the recent new edition of the "50 Great Greek Wines" it thereby managed to sneak its way up to 6th place in the blind tasting, leaving every single PDO Nemea wine behind it. One thing is clear in any case: the 2021 was the most expressive wine in our tasting, with clear nectarine aromatics. On the palate, it shows a sweetness comparable to that of its predecessor. It lacks acidity, however, which impairs the interplay but at the same time makes it more easygoing. The finish is at least medium-long, but by no means complex. The acidity does develop here (unlike in the wine from the Skoumpris Winery, and much as in the wine from Panagiotopoulos Wines), but then flattens out again (unlike in the wines just mentioned), so that the aftertaste is slightly mineral, possibly even verging on metallic. Not that you notice much of this anyway, because you are already on to the next sip. As a compromise between the tasters' diverging views, we award an outstanding 16.5 points. In terms of its complexity, the wine really sits somewhat below that. At the same time, there is no question that this is the wine with the best drive we have tasted this year, full stop. For the average wine drinker, this is the perfect summer wine! We can therefore recommend with a completely clear conscience that you buy the wine from our partner shop run by Ralph Urban for €9.99 a bottle (and, via the commission, support our website at the same time).

Indisputably at the top of the 16.5-point category is the Malagousia 2021 from Mylonas Winery in PGI Attica – so we are back at the latitude of Athens. The 12.5% alcohol is unremarkable. Structurally, however, what stands out is that the acidity is also underpinned by spritz, and mineral hints can also be made out – though here they appear in a thoroughly positive light. Aromatically, this wine is extremely exciting. On the nose it is quite expressive – and sits squarely in the floral camp. Yet there is nothing remotely heavy about these floral notes. What is crazy is how, on the palate, fruit suddenly dominates. Some people like this combination of florals on the nose and fruit on the palate exceedingly well, to the point that they would rate the wine even higher. For others, it may be a touch too challenging. That we are dealing with at least an outstanding 16.5 points here, however, is beyond question.

We then reach the 17-point range in the north of Greece. Here the winery Alpha Estate (presented in detail here (in German)) produces the Malagouzia Single Vineyard Turtles as a PGI Florina wine. The 2020 vintage has 13% alcohol, and we had already tasted it the year before. At the time, it struck us as an interpretation of Malagousia that likewise tends rather toward the herbal spectrum, though not as dominantly as the version from Giannikos (in German). Compared with that one, it is considerably rounder, and also gives the fruity and floral potential of the grapes enough room to play. Structure and finish are likewise very pleasant. What held us back from real enthusiasm was the lack of a truly recognizable signature of the kind that many other wines from Alpha Estate undoubtedly have. That was somewhat different on the nose this time, when we opened the second bottle. The house's trademark brioche notes were now clearly to the fore. This fits well with our recent observation regarding the house's Assyrtiko, where an additional year of maturity likewise brought the lees work clearly to the fore aromatically (see here (in German)). The wine gives a slightly creamy impression but has sufficient acidity. It is not conspicuous, yet clearly present when you taste the wines attentively side by side. That it is so well integrated is a plus. On the nose, herbal character remains noticeable, though fruity notes – ripe windfall fruit – can now be made out as well. On the palate, however, with its minerality the wine then comes across a touch too poised to match that impression. Fruit is missing, even if the wine is once again very pleasant toward the end and distinguishes itself with a long finish. An outstanding 17 points. The new 2021 vintage is available for €8.50 from our partner shop Oinos Greek Wine.

A 2.5-hour drive west brings us to PGI Epanomi, to Ktima Gerovassiliou and thus to the variety's savior himself, Evangelos Gerovassiliou (a feature on the winery can be found here (in German)). The 2021 vintage of the Malagousia Single Vineyard has a rather high 13.5% alcohol and is carried by a steady backbone of acidity. On the palate the wine is round and builds; the finish emerges slowly but steadily. In this development lies the wine's greatest strength, and one should not pass over it lightly. Even so, it is something of a disappointment – after all, the 2020 vintage had knocked our socks off (in German) with its clear peach fruit and moved us to give it a phenomenal 18.5 points. By contrast, the fruity aromas are now very subdued – trailing clearly behind the Geometria from Lafazanis Winery – and are repeatedly muffled by a floral overlay. Still an outstanding wine at 17 points. With this vintage, however, it does not come close to the "great" wines of this tasting. That is a little surprising, since the blend with Assyrtiko – the white estate wine (in German) – of the same year certainly does deliver the variety's typical fruit. Bottle variation therefore cannot be ruled out entirely. For the moment, at least, the Ktima Gerovassiliou White strikes us as the safer buy. The latter is currently available in the 2019 vintage for €13.69 from our partner shop Oinos Greek Wine.

In a certain sense, you encounter the complete antithesis of the Mylonas Winery wine if you drive 1.5 hours west from there, past Athens and back into the Peloponnese. There, in PGI Corinth, in 2020, Ktima Kissa produced a wine with a strikingly high 13.5% alcohol. The acidity builds in exemplary fashion and holds steady. Structurally, the wine is in perfect balance. On the palate, a refreshing note of lime. On the nose, the wine is colorful and complex – almost too dense for concrete descriptors. But this is no jumble. Fruit and florals are simply very tightly interwoven and make the wine sing. In a nutshell: round – with a whole lot of inner structure. A great 17.5 points – and a whole lot of individuality!

Stylistically quite different but comparable in quality is the Malagousia Dryos 2021 from Domaine Hatzimichalis (PGI Atalanti; so we have to pass Athens once again and drive a little way up the east coast). Here, too, we have 13.5% alcohol. The acidity is mid-range. Structurally, minerality clearly dominates. It is the only wine aged in oak. It shows a fine, citrusy nose. Added to this, once again, is the straw that has caught our attention several times in this tasting – this time, however, not damp. The palate has something unusually red-fruited about it. The finish is very long. This wine, too, deserves a great 17.5 points. It would be exciting to keep tracking how this oak-matured version develops with age.

The northeasternmost wine (from PGI Drama) also happens to be the dry Malagousia that impressed us most. The debut 2020 vintage of the young winery Ktima Erithrou Rodou had already thoroughly won us over (in German). The 2021 vintage, too, is characterized by a thoroughly floral nose. Here, for once, we also get heavier rose scents. That said, the impression is less overpowering than last year. What some might perhaps regret makes the wine more attractive and rounder in our view. The hotter year is also noticeable in the alcohol of 13%. But that does not bother us at all. The acidity is relatively restrained, certainly less pronounced than in the wine from Ktima Kissa. Above all, though, its role is limited, because the aromatics carry the wine from the very first moment. The minerality, too, supports the wine and stands out very positively here, because it, too, comes wrapped in aromatics. On the palate there is also a lovely sweetness that invites another sip. The finish is once again very floral – and long. Yields of well below 30 hl/ha and the exclusive use of free-run juice impressively underline the ambition to deliver a genuine quality wine. A very accomplished wine that clearly dominates this tasting and therefore deserves a great 18 points. The 2020 vintage is still available at our partner shop run by Ralph Urban for €17.99 a bottle.

For dessert, there was one more wine: the Malagousia from overripe grapes 2018 from Ktima Gerovassiliou. After the dry version had fallen short of expectations, this bottle fully made amends. The oh-so-typical peach is back in all its clarity. The wine has 12.5% and not even a hint of stickiness. It has a very clear style, yet it does not come across as pretentiously elegant – it is downright playful. With a dessert wine that impresses in this way, rather than through enormous complexity, may one even reach for top scores? Our answer: yes. Because a dessert wine with such staggering drive is hard to find anywhere else. On top of that, the finish is endlessly long. Hence: A phenomenal 18.5 points.