Winemaker Notes
Brilliantly, light yellow in color with greenish tints. Strong and lively nose, typical Malagouzia, suggesting rose petal with floral aromas and sweet spices, melon, litchi with a note of honeysuckle. Round and mellow on the palate, fat but balanced, high in alcohol with plenty of finesse. Well structured, reminding the nose aromas with a hint of rosemary. A richly textured wine with superb length and balance. A classy wine with long finish and persistent aromas.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The cool northeastfacing slopes of Amyndeon—at 2,264 feet in elevation—restrain malagouzia’s floral character, delivering a sophisticated white. Vinified cool, in stainless steel, with two months on its lees, the 2021 is lean and lithe, with quiet notes of rose petals and quince gentling its citric angles.
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James Suckling
A fragrant nose, full of peaches, stones, blossoms and lemon grass. A very fresh and elegant delivery of malagouzia, accentuated by purity and texture. Well made.
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Decanter
Expressive with melon fruits and limestone minerality. Crisp front palate with sappy nectarines with long and persistent salty aftertaste.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Malagouzia Turtles Vineyard is unoaked, dry and comes in at 13.48% alcohol. In its youth, about three months in bottle when tasted, this is all about the youthful features—exuberant fruit, pungent aromatics, a fair bit of power for this grape and excellent depth. Big, ripe and intense, this might not always be the highest-personality offering in the brand, but right now I like it a lot in its own style.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
A picturesque Mediterranean nation with a rich wine culture dating back to ancient times, Greece has so much more to offer than just retsina. Between the mainland and the country’s many islands, a wealth of Greek wine styles exists, made mostly from Greece’s plentiful indigenous varieties. After centuries of adversity after Ottoman rule, the modern Greek wine industry took off in the late 20th century with an influx of newly trained winemakers and investments in winemaking technology.
The climate—generally hot Mediterranean—can vary a bit with latitude and elevation, and is mostly moderated by cool maritime breezes. Drought can be an issue for Greek wine during the long, dry summers, sometimes necessitating irrigation.
Over 300 indigenous grapes have been identified throughout Greece, and though not all of them are suitable for wine production, future decades will likely see a significant revival and refinement of many of these native Greek wine varieties. Assyrtiko, the crisp, saline Greek wine variety of the island of Santorini, is one of the most important and popular white wine varieties, alongside Roditis, Robola, Moschofilero, and Malagousia. Muscat is also widely grown for both sweet and dry wines. Prominent red wine varieties include full-bodied and fruity Agiorghitiko, native to Nemea; Macedonia’s savory, tannic Xinomavro; and Mavrodaphne, used commonly to produce a Port-like fortified wine in the Peloponnese.