Budapest Daily Review

This wine found me when I least expected it. There’s been a niche in the Hungarian wine offering I’d been very much looking forward to be filled and I was sure that when it was to happen Villány would have  something to do about it. But it actually came from Gyöngyöspata, from the Szecskő winery and it’s called Turán, and was made in 2007.

The review

Very deep cherry-ruby color like one I’ve never seen in a Hungarian wine before. It’s move is slow and robust but it was nothing compared to what was about to come.

The first sniff was absolutely amazing and I didn’t quite believe it. I never tasted a Turán before and I didn’t see this coming. The intensity of the nose is unbelievable and the fruitiness of it has no peer in my memory. A light salty undertone, cocktail cherry and a marzipan-cherry chocolate brownie aromas make the bouquet even more interesting. And the finest Belgian chocolate.

I was looking forward to a major disappointment after the first sip but it didn’t come.

The palate was just as intense and concentrated as the nose. Very fruity and mouthfilling, with mostly very ripe cherry building up a huge body with the most polish, elegant tannins I’ve seen for a long time. It’s very unfortunate that the wine doesn’t have enough acidity to support this huge body and concentration of extract materials and this combined with a high alcohol (15.5%) makes the wine a little bit sweet over the top. The wine was obviously made of very mature grapes resulting in this fat juice and was probably aged in large barrels. Excellent texture and the wine is well integrated which is further evidenced the next day when the fruitiness mostly disappeared but the structure’s the same. Already few hours after opening some berry fruits (mostly very ripe blackberry) and charcoal will appear on the nose and the next day the grape’s aromas and some spices will become dominant.

The wine is so heavy with a level of concentration that you cannot drink more than a glass of it at a time, it’s just too much.

This is the first time that I will not give out score for a wine not because it’s so wrong.

Many people will like it and I believe that just as many will dislike it too but no one’s going to be disappointed.You’ll find it very interesting and I’m sure that most of you will appreciate its strengths.

Score: you write it to me, if you can judge!

Price: HUF 3 200

Ottó Légli has, in total, 33 ha vineyards mostly on the small hills of the Balatonboglár region. According to his credo, his aim is to make the wine express the utmost harmony of natural values of the wine such as fruitiness, acidity, freshness and of dedicated human efforts.The vine composition of the plantations is as follows:

Chardonnay 7,7 ha, Olaszrizling 5 ha, Rajnai Rizling 4,8 ha, Sauvignon Blanc 3,6 ha, Pinot Noir 4 ha, Merlot 2 ha, Kékfrankos 1 ha, Pinot Blanc 0,5 ha, Rizlingszilváni 0,4 ha, Muscat Ottonel 0,3 ha, Irsai Olivér 0,3 ha, Zenit 0,3 ha, Zöldveltelini 0,2 ha, under reconstruction 2,9 ha.

I picked an affordable middle-range wine (he produces wines for the budget consumers as well as for the wealthy Hungarians, and a range in between). I was a bit disappointed lately with the lower-end sortiment, so I’ve been looking forward to the more expensive range with mixed expectations.

Légli – Landord, 2007

Medium yellow-golden color, clean and bright and the wine has an appealing move in the glass.

This Chardonnay has a very attractive nose: intense, but very elegant acacia honey with floral edge. Very refreshing. It has a mouth-filling presence on the palate too with grapefruit and other citrus elements, supported by round, fresh, elegant acidity. Remarkable, excellent balance. More than medium bodied with a nice structure with a good deal of salty-minerality making it even more exciting, completed by an apricot aroma undertone. Complex, but not heavy wine, although heavy enough to accompany the 14% alcohol. The acids are lovely and they’re trimming well the residual sugar.

Later the nose will have a marzipan note too and the palate a more Chardonnay vinous character.

The smart use of polished oak is interesting and pleasant.

This is the last great Chardonnay in a row of three in only a few months. The three came from 3 different regions in the small Hungarian land. The three are priced around HUF 3 000 which, of course, qualifies them for best buy. Something to think about.

Score: 7, 7+

Price: 3 500 (on sale, normally 4 000)

But you wouldn’t tell. I must admit I opened these wines on a special occasion which also happened to be an open-air barbecue. So my notes are short and include an unusual level of uncertainty.

The aim is clear: how’s been the Gere Cabernet Sauvignon Barrique and Kopár Cuvéé (both from the classic 2000 vintage) evolved over the years. Bot were kept in cellar in equal conditions. Perhaps the Cabernet Sauvignon has a handicap for having spent few weeks in my apartment prior to moving to a proper place.

The review

Gere Attila – Cabernet Sauvignon Barrique, 2000

Dark ruby color with purplish reflections and a brick rim.

Typical cabernet and paprika nose with raspberry underpinning.

On the palate sour, robust tannins and acidity. In my memories this was a full-bodied wine but I had to wait an hour to recover that feeling. In the same time the tannin hydes behind the acidity. Overall the wine doen’t really improve in the decanter.

Too old, the sine hasn’t delivered the expected potential.

Score: 4/5-

Price: unavailable. 2005: HUF 4 300 / EUR 18

Gere Attila – Kopár Cuvée, 2000

Lively deep cherry color. It gets much much deeper with time.

Full-bodied wine with some residual sugar, round acidity and elegant, velvety tannins. On the palate intense chocolate flavor and sour cherry. Huge body. Merlot is dominant. Still fresh and lively.

The wine still has potential for at least a couple of years.

Score: 7+/8-

Price: unavailabe, or sky-high. Newer vintages range between HUF 7 000 and 9 000.

2001 wasn’t easy for Tokaj. Hárslevelű is the lesser known, or to be more precise the less popular variety used for Aszú making as we know. But it certain years we are thankful for Hárslevelű and 2001 might be one of these years. 

The review

Deep brassy color.

The nose is very aromatic, full of walnut, smoke, rose and other floral notes.

The palate is mostly the mandatory raisin with lots of residual sugar as you would expect supported by moderate acidity. The wine later becomes more round though.

Intense ripe quince, rich sun-dried apricot, burned sugar with citrus elements and roasted peanuts make it very high in extracts. The mineral element which is so unknown in dry Hétszőlő wines is quite nice here. 

48 hours later it’s still round with dominantly Cognac and must elements.

Score: 8-

Price: HUF 8 000/ EUR 33

But please note that its price is more unpredictable and subject to availability.