Exploring Bulgarian Wine (6) Magura
Magura is a large winery with a capacity to make 2 million litres of wine, established in 1967. It changed hands a year ago so this is very much a work in progress. At the moment, half the winery has been renovated by the new owners (a group called Eurohold), but half is still old school, and there are 73 old concrete tanks each of which takes 62 000 litres of wine. Most of the wines made here were destined for Russia.
The vineyards are located here (mainly white) and in the south of Bulgaria (mainly reds), and altogether they have just over 100 hectares, with 25 different varieties. The current winemaker has been here for 8 years, but they have a new consultant who is helping refine the range.
One of its notable features is that it has 200 metres of tunnels into the hillside, which also houses the famous Magura caves. Thus the symbols on the labels: old cave paintings, and bats (which they have in their cellar caves).
The more recent vintages are a step up from the older ones, in my opinion, suggesting this is a winery to watch.
THE WINES
Magura Rabisha Vrachanski Misket Traminer 2022 Danube Plains, Bulgaria
This is from the northwest. Bright, clean, pure and fruity with nice acidity, and a mix of citrus and table grape flavours. Crisp but balanced with some tropical notes. 88/100
Magura ‘The Oracle’ Vrachanski Misket Riesling 2022 Danube Plains, Bulgaria
From the northwest. Lively and bright with a citrus edge to the exotic grapey, slightly tropical notes. This has nice intensity and purity with good acidity. Notes of mint and tea tree on the finish. 90/100
Magura ‘The Oracle’ Vrachanski Misket Riesling 2024 Danube Plains, Bulgaria
13% alcohol. Pure and aromatic with a nice grippy edge to the citrus fruit. Supple and juicy with nicely textured fruit, and a touch of aniseed. 92/100
Magura Gamza Trevite 2022 Bulgaria
13.5% alcohol. Fleshy and rich with sweet cherries and plums, as well as some stewed strawberry character. Quite a ripe wine with some herbal hints, a touch of pepper, and some oxidative characters in the mix. I like the fruit though. 88/100
Magura ‘The Maiden’ Gamza 2023 Bulgaria
50% of this is aged in oak for three months. Focused, bright and fresh with dense but bright raspberry and cherry fruit. There’s nice acidity and a bit of structure, and some crunchiness. Stylish with nice palate presence. This is really vibrant. 93/100
Magura ‘The Celestial Bull’ Rubin 2022 Bulgaria
This comes from the south. Slightly oxidative and jammy on the nose. Ripe berry and cherry fruis with some grapiness, but also some appley oxidative characters. Hints of pomegranate. A little jammy. 85/100
Magura ‘The Celestial Bull’ Rubin 2023 Bulgaria
This is supple and elegant with red cherry and plum fruit. Nicely elegant with an ease to it and a core of rounded, sweet berry fuits. Fresh and supple. 93/100
Magura Rabisha Merlot 2022
From the south. Unoaked. Dense and vivid with nicely structured sweet black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, and a spicy edge. Nice fruit sweetness here combined with good structure. 90/100
Magura Rabisha Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
From the south. No oak. Vivid and intense, and quite structured with a nicely dense core of blackcurrant and cherry fruit with good structure and sweet fruit. There’s pleasure here, but also a gastronomic edge. 90/100
