An understated furmint

Furmint’s been emerging as a standalone dry wine recently from the shadows of the Aszú, following some really exceptional late harvest furmints (whose quality sometimes exceeds some mid-range Aszús). Hétszőlő’s been quite modest about their furmint and their shyness is a bit of a mystery. The 2004 was average, the 2005 was really not so bad.

I got some Hétszőlő Furmint 2006 few weeks after getting into bottles, long before being put on general sale and it was very promising even for a very young wine. Few months after it’s more developed, almost perfectly balanced. It’s traditionally bright coloured at Hétszőlő due to the soil (loess and clay on a base of vulcanic rocks) and the process of fermentation and maturing. It’s the exact opposite of the Mandolás Furmint from Oremus. Mandolás will be covered very soon, I still have a few bottles from the legendary 2003.

Hétszőlő is one of the most honest wineries in Tokaj and in the whole country. In poor years they produce average quality furmints and late harvests, but above the average of the competition. In better years, and when conditions are ideal for botritis rotting, they produce excellent Aszú. Their Kövérszőlő is one of the most enjoyable items in its category. Tibor Kovács is probably the most experimental wine maker in Tokaj. For him, terroir is more important than regulation, but we’ll talk about this later when we will be reviewing Aszú. And he’s an honest man too. He once told me that he believes that 80-90% depends on the grape, 10-20% (maximum) should depend on the winemaker. For sure, Hétszőlő owns some of the best slopes in Tokaj.

So let’s get to the note now.

Right after opening and for an hour, different types of apple and peach are dominant in smell. Almost crispy acid well balanced by extract sweetness (it’s still a dry wine). Taste like apple, after a while hazelnut, almond and later lots of locust! Few hours later acid and sweetness start to disintegrate, becoming more similar to a chilien chardonnay (like Sunrise), it’s halfway between it and a typical Juhfark from Somló. Marzipan flavor is dominant at the end.

Drink it really chilled, at around 10°C.

Score: 5+, 6- (easily could have been a strong 6+/7- with a longer lasting balance).

Price: HUF 1700 (EUR 6.5). Underrated, almost a best buy.

Some official background info: Harvesting is entirely manual. Fermentation takes place over a 10-day period in stainless steel tanks and the process is strictly temperature controlled (14 – 18°C). The wine is then gently filtered in order to maximise extraction and retain maximum flavour. It is bottled in February or March of the following year. The modern vats (built in 1992) are very close to the vineyards.