I appreciate Mr. Szentesi’s experimental apporach which sometimes yields frenetic wines but somehow really rubbish wines also find their way to the market, and when they do they don’t come cheap! This Pinot Noir from 2008 was barely drinkable at start and hardly something Mr. Szentesi should be proud of 2 hours later. C’mon!

This is the entry level to the wines from Csúcs hegy close to Nadap of perhaps slightly schizophrenic “artisan” winemaker/entertainment entrepreneur  Szentesi. Don’t get me wrong, I tend to like his wines very much and he still runs one of the best low-budget restaurants in town (even after sharp fall in quality) and shopping from the walls of a pool table showroom behind a car-washing garage is equal to none.

This is a medium deep straw-colored wine with a light chalky mineral character and lots of aromatic ripe apple. It has a pleasant, slightly fizzy tartness in the finish and just enough acidity. Fruity, even intrusively, with notes of pineapple.

It’s a simple, but good wine made using traditional methods as proudly emphasized by Mr. Szentesi.

Score: 4 points

Price: HUF 1 800

I just finished off this bottle, left over from before yesterday. I don’t usually keep the bottle open for so long (why would I?), but after  2 days uncorked the wine’s still very good.

This Rajnai’s color is quite dull. But the nose is quite not so much. It’s salted chalky-mineral character is charming, with almond-marzipan notes and a veggie stock accent. Well rounded on the palate, a bit sweet (it’s semi-dry after all) with very subtle acidity which will be more accentueted after 2 hours. Full-bodied but light, elgant but it has a character too – a quite mineral one, with very ripe apple and hints of pear. Soft, silky texture, thirlling. Surprisingly short length. Mature wine, probably at its best.

Score: 6+/7

Price: HUF 3 500