I wasn’t exactly a Hárslevelű fan until I met this one here, although it was a late harvest version. I’ve been looking forward to Somlói Apátsági Hárslevelű since I first met this small winery from south-eastern Somló in March at the Somló Tavasz wine event at Festetics Kastély. I was impressed by the mineral, fruity and mouthfilling character of their Olaszrizling, Furmint and Hilla cuvée. That seemed like a very promising start from this experimental and apparently patient winery, established already in 2002 but coming out with their first commercially available sortiment only recently. In March, it looked like they found if not their own style but a path that would potentially lead them to being establishing amongt the most sought after wineries of Somló.
The review
Rather dark golden yellow hue with brownish-brassy reflections. The nose is very intense tea (sweet lemon flavored ice tea actually of a very particular producer) with a heavy mineral undertone and a hint of tobacco, later nutmeg. This set of aromas is translated well on to the palate supported by lot of acidity. The wine has some residual sugar (it’s semi sweet) but with this lot of lemon-grapefruit acidity it feels well balanced, with it’s high concentration of substance including notes of stewed apricot and unripe plum(!). The wine shows some signs of oxidation, intentionally or not (the wine was aged in oak barrels for almost a year). Good length with a slightly appalling tart accent.
This wine clearly has the potential but in 2008 it misses the target, although it shows some very important features of a great wine.
Score: 5 points
Price: HUF 2 500
This Hárslevelű has a very heavy character and I couldn’t drink more than two galsses. It reminded me in character of a Furmint(!) I had earlier this year. I was planning to buy some Árvay wines at the end of the summer then they were aggressively discounted, with 50% off at one of my usual sources. Then I got a call from a friend that a major retailer had the Furmint on sale well under HUF 1 000 and I think he bought the whole lot. Anyway, the notes of the wine have never been published (I do that sometimes, out of lazyness I guess). But that wine had a very similar, heavy, mouthfilling, acidic, mineral character with a tart finish, very much like this Hárslevelű.
Tags: 2008, Hárslevelű, Somló
April 26th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
H0055 is the short code of the bottler company. It is mandatory to print this code on the label by the low. The bottler company has important role in the long chain of wine production but as far as I know it is rather uncommon to mention the code of the bottler in wine descriptions.
The hárslevelű has been aged in relatively large (500l and 1000l) barrels for ten months after fermented in 2000l sized barrels. I have not recognized the sign of oxidation (so for sure it is absolutely and most definitely not intentional). The sign of oxidation I have always considered as major fault what should be prevented for any price and I would never release any wine what I feel oxidized.
The 2008 hárslevelű by category is off dry as it has 15g/residual sugar.
April 29th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
low->law