Txakoli Malda

"shows the tart, zesty side of Txakoli; think green melon, Granny Smith apples, lime zest, and fresh herbs with a mineral finish." —
Sarah Tracey, www.marthastewart.com
Appellation
Getariako Txakolina D.O.
Grape(s)
100% Hondarrabi Zuri
Altitude/Soil
70-100 meters / clay soils
Farming Methods
Traditional methods, Vegan
Harvest
Hand harvested in mid-late September into small boxes
Production
Clusters are sorted for cleanliness, then pressed. Fermented in stainless steel tanks
Aging
Aged for a few months on fine lees prior to bottling
Suggested Retail Price
$20
Wine Name
Scores
Downloads
Reviews
Txakoli Malda 2018
90 (VM) 89 (I-WR) 89 (VfC) **1/2 (WP)
Score Publication Review Copy
90 Vinous Media Limpid yellow-gold. Ripe peach and yellow apple scents are complemented by subtle floral and mineral notes. Juicy and focused in the mouth, offering spice-accented orchard and pit fruit and citrus pith flavors that show a refreshing hint of bitterness on the back half. The long, lively finish leaves honeysuckle and pit fruit notes behind. 2021 – 2022.
Josh Raynolds – June 17, 2021 Atlantic Spain: It’s Always About the Weather…
89 International Wine Review This Txakoli is incredibly fresh and bright. It offers light effervescence, citrus, and tangy acidity with a saline note and creamy texture. Fermented in stainless steel and aged on the lees for a few months prior to bottling. Readers who like Vinho Verde will enjoy this wine even more. 100% estate grown near the Atlantic.
"Spanish Wines of Value and Quality" - June 20, 2019
89 View from the Cellar The 2018 Txakoli Malda” from Txakoli Zudugarai is composed entirely from the Hondurrabi Zuri grape and is a lovely example of this lightly effervescent and minerally, dry white wine. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of tart pear, lime peel, salty minerality and a topnote of lemongrass. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, bright and slightly spritzy, with good intensity of flavor, zesty acids and a long, tasty finish. Good juice. 2020-2023.
Issue # 85 - January/February 2020
**1/2 The Washington Post Score: 2.5 Stars (Exceptional/Excellent)
Txakoli (pronounced “chah-kuh-lee”) hails from the Basque region of northern Spain. Made from the hondarribi zuri grape, these wines tend to be uncomfortably acidic, a surprise uppercut to the palate that can send you reeling. But they’re delicious and fascinating as long as you aren’t expecting a simple sip. Don’t drink them too cold — refrigerator temperature only emphasizes the acidity — and pair them with food, which softens the acidity and brings out fruit flavors of citrus and kiwi. What type of food? Anything vibrant or spicy. These wines can take it. The Txakoli Malda benefits from being a 2018 — the time in bottle softens the wine just a bit and gives it an appealing roundness on the palate. ABV: 11 percent.

"Frozen pizza deserves a wine pairing, too, and this $9 Italian red is our pick" - Oct. 2, 2020
Martha Stewart (Web) Txakoli Getariako Malda 2018 shows the tart, zesty side of Txakoli; think green melon, Granny Smith apples, lime zest, and fresh herbs with a mineral finish.
Featured in a list of "Ones to Try"
Why Txakolina, a Fizzy Spanish Wine, Is So Right for Summer Drinking - May 9, 2019
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Txakoli Malda 2019
91 (WRO) 90 (WB) 90 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
91 Wine Review Online Fresh renditions of well-made Txakoli (say, “chah-kuh-lee”) is undoubtedly among the handful of most refreshing wines in the world—if not the single most refreshing, even surpassing Portugal’s Vinho Verde. Both are picked early to retain acidity and keep alcohol down, and are also bottled early with some residual carbon dioxide from the natural fermentation process, adding just a bit of spritz that provides even more “lift” and refreshment value. This is a particularly successful example of the breed, with wonderful aromas and flavors recalling squeezed lime juice and tart green apple. If you love acidic wines, this is the ticket, and if you love unadorned, freshly shucked oysters, this is the ticket to heaven.
Michael Franz - July 2020
90 Washington Wine Blog Made from Hondarribi Zurri grapes, this shows a wonderful degree of freshness with layers of salted Marcona almond, lime rind and white grapefruit with a great veil of tension and length. Enjoy this beautiful wine loaded with mouth-watering acidity, over the next several years. Drink 2020-2025.
Dr. Owen J. Bargreen, CS - July 2020
90 View from the Cellar The 2019 Txakoli Malda from Bodegas Zudugarai is composed entirely of Hondarrabi Zuri and is fermented and raised in stainless steel tanks. It offers up a very pretty, expressive nose of breadfruit, a touch of casaba, lemongrass, salty minerality and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is vibrant, medium-full and gently frizzante, with nice mid-palate depth, good mineral undertow and a long, nicely balanced finish. Good juice. 2021-2027.
John Gilman - Issue #91 / February 2021
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Txakoli Malda 2020
91 (WRO)
Score Publication Review Copy
91 Wine Review Online Wines in this style from Spain’s beautiful, highly distinctive, food-rich Basque Country have never quite gotten traction commercially in the USA (which is also true of the best examples somewhat similarly styled Vinho Verde wines of Portugal). To consumers in a nation that introduces wine mostly by way of California, these can seem weirdly thin, tart, under-ripe, and fizzy, and most novices don’t need four different reasons to say “no, thank you, I’d prefer something else.” However, as taste preferences are by nature subjective, it is every bit as valid to characterize a wine like this as light, zesty, fresh, and playfully effervescent, which is a much different spin, and one that will sound quite appealing to young wine consumers. So, don’t count out a wine like this, as you could be just as wrong as those who argued that rosé wines could never overcome the horror of white Zinfandel and achieve popularity in the USA. This bottling hits just the right balance point on multiple dimensions, being light but not insubstantial, tart but not sour, zesty and fresh but not raw, and bubbly enough to make it clear that the bubbles are intentional but not so fizzy that a table wine glass seems inappropriate for relaxed enjoyment. The palate impressions recall Granny Smith apples and lime zest, along with undertones of sea spray and dried herbs. You’ll find descriptors akin to these on the back label, but that doesn’t mean I plagiarized anything — just that whoever wrote the copy for the back label did a good job. One last thing: This is not quite the fluffy, forgettable wine it might seem to some at first blush; it held up beautifully under a cork in my refrigerator for 48 hours, and when re-opened, it was almost exactly as fizzy as when first opened, despite the fact that only 1/3 of the wine remained in the bottle, due to how good it tasted on the first night. At 11% stated alcohol, this offers a not-so-guilty pleasure, so sharpen your oyster knife and buy a bushel of fresh oysters to keep your quilt quota running even.
Michael Franz – August 24, 2021
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Txakoli Malda 2021
88 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
88 View from the Cellar The 2021 Txakoli from Malda is comprised entirely from the Hondarribi Zuri grape. The wine comes in at a svelte eleven percent octane this year and offers up an aromatic constellation of tart orange, ocean breeze salinity, green olive, stony soil tones and a topnote of lemongrass. On the palate the wine is crisp, medium-full and complex, with good focus and grip and a long, tart and well-balanced finish. A good example. 2022-2027.
John Gilman – Issue 98 March/April 2022
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Txakoli Malda 2022
91 (WRO) 89 (VfC) 89 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
91 Wine Review Online Txakoli Malda, Getariako Txakolina DO (Pays Basque, Spain) Hondarribi Zuri 2022 ($20, Grapes of Spain / Aurelio Cabestrero):  The Basque region’s Txakoli wines are consistently the hidden gems that everyone should know about.  Hondarribi Zuri grapes are harvested early in the season which ensures bright acidity and lower alcohol percentages.  This version only clocks in at 11.5 percent alcohol but drinks dry and has an abundance of food-friendly acidity.   Despite its earlier harvest, the wine showcases excellent fruit ripeness with citrus, stone fruit, and tropical fruit notes.  A light minerality supports the complexity and experience.  Like many Spanish wineries, Txakoli Zudugarai is a family-run business with three generations involved in the harvest and winemaking.  If you want to pour this wine like a local, pour the wine with a little distance to the glass.  The rapid exposure of air while the wine runs from the bottle (or porrón if you’re really getting fancy) helps open the wine up before the first sip. 
Vince Simmon Jan 30, 2024
89 View from the Cellar The 2022 Txakoli Malda is composed entirely of the Hondaribbi Zuri grape. It offers up a bright and quite complex bouquet of fresh lime, menthol, salty minerality, a touch of grassiness and citrus peel. On the palate the wine is medium-full and gently spritzy, with a good core and mineral drive, bright acids and a long, complex and nicely balanced finish. This is quite good. 2024-2028.
John Gilman, Issue 109, January – February 2024
89 View from the Cellar The 2022 Txakoli Malda is composed entirely of the Hondaribbi Zuri grape. It offers up a bright and quite complex bouquet of fresh lime, menthol, salty minerality, a touch of grassiness and citrus peel. On the palate the wine is medium-full and gently spritzy, with a good core and mineral drive, bright acids and a long, complex and nicely balanced finish. This is quite good. 2023-2028.
John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023.
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Txakoli Malda 2023
90 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
90 View from the Cellar The 2023 Txakoli Malda from Bodegas Zudugarai just arrived a couple of weeks before this article went to print and will be in the market for much of the coming year. The bouquet here is vibrant and expressive, hopping from the glass in a mix of green apple, lime, menthol, a lovely base of wet stone minerality and a topnote of lemongrass. On the palate the wine is bright, fullish and quite a bit more youthfully spritzy than the 2022 version, with lovely complexity and grip, good mineral undertow and a long, well-balanced and refreshing finish. Good juice. 2024-2029.
John Gilman, Issue 109, January – February 2024
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