Budapest Daily Review

Although beside the best-known Tokaj Aszú wines there are also decent late harvest wines, ice wines and even so called winter harvest wines (which were harvested late, during the winter actually but not entirely fulfilling the late harvest nor the ice wine criteria) their number and acceptance is still relatively low and mostly limited to smaller quantities in the Tokaj region. It’s a pitty because they’re often more affordable alternatives to the Aszú wines and I believe that a dessert wine is just as good (or often much better) as a nice cake or ice-cream to end a meal. Moreover, most late harvest wines are much better than a 3-Puttonyos Aszú from the same price range, especially compared to those marketed aggressively in most supermarkets this season of the year.

I hate it when people stand up aggressively for their belief concerning wine, I actually don’t like to talk about wine with people at all but when I occasionally do I tend to fight the preconception of sweet wines must be necessarily rubbish or made for girls (as it’s seen by many in a wine-culturally underdeveloped country like ours).

Some (of the best) wineries don’t make Aszú wines at all in years when the circumstances aren’t ideal and it’s a great buy opportunity since they’re clearing their stock from last year’s late harvest wines to make room for the even larger quantity of the given year. This is how I paid around EUR3 for this Dessewffy Furmint-Hárslevelű late harvest 2005.

Pale yellow with greenish reflections. The nose is frst full of apple compote and notes of ripe tropical fruits but later becomes almost entirely dominated by pineapple. The same aromas carry on through to the palate where they’re supported by abundant, lively acidity which is accentuated at the finish granting very good length to the wine. It’s fresh, relatively light with pineapple-citrus dominance and hints of apple compote and melon and a medicine undertone. You completely forget it’s made of Furmint and Hárslevelű. It’s just a bowl of fruit salade.

Score: 4+, 5-

Ikon is a joint venture of some members of the Hungarian wine community including János winemakeroftheyear2008 Konyári, now with an area of 39 hectares in the southern Balaton region.

The review

Bright golder yellow hue. The nose is primarily Chardonnay, light, lovely, warm, with hints of vanilla (not oaky) and herbs.

A surprsingly mouthfilling wine but in a very oily way with a rather sweet appeal. Soft, silky texture. Light aromas of ripe apple and wild pear and hints of melon without remarkable depth. Very subtle acidity for a relatively fat wine. But that glycerin will feel more integrated after only a few minutes already.

This wine’s very much unlinke the 2007 as described on the winery’s website. But it’s very enjoyable.

Score: 4+/5- points

Price: HUF 1 100

Years and years ago, I used to like and drink regularly Vesztergombi wines but somehow I stopped buying the wines of this family winery from Szekszárd. Since then they increased their area to 20ha and half of it was planted with vines which are today not older than 3-4 years old. This selection from Kerékhegy spent more than 18 months in small oak barrels.

Medium dark ruby with purplish reflections. Very dense nose, charming, full of very ripe berry fruit aromas. Very warm, very fruity bouquet with hints of anise! The palate is different, rather spicy, with all kinds of spices but mostly white papper. A bit disappointing on the palate after the stunning nose. The tannins are first not well integrated and later still very hard, and the wine could be a bit less acidic too. 2 hours later the style will remain firm but the tannins smoothen a bit and spicyness increases further.

Score: 6, 6+

Price:

October is very cold this year but I couldn’t resist the sale at a retailer I often visit and I bought this Vörcsöki Furmint 2007 whose versison from 2006 I liked so much I chose it one of the most memorable ones I drank in 2008.

I was disappointed to see that one of the nicest wine labels has become a cheap replica of the previous year’s. Such a shame, I know it’s an inexpensive wine but I’d switch to screw cap first if I had to save some money. Let’s hope they didn’t compromise on quality inside…

The look has become a bit paler. The nose changed too although it remains very intense, but this time insted of fruity character it is rather floral, indeed honey-ish, more Furmint-like with hints of vanilla and salt - lot of it actually.

A little bit sweet on the palate, but this is well balanced by a salty mineral element and abundant acidity. Not too fruity, only some tanderine’s found there. Medium-large body and lot of pleasant acidity. There’s a bitterness brought in by Furmint, particularily accentuated at the finish. Very licvely acids.

We also finished off a bottle of Monarchia’s Chardonnay Battonage 2006 which I always looked at as something of fair value for the money, but this Kerkaborum, 60% cheaper and although beaten by its predecessor, is still not much behind it (and is still a best buy). And it is Furmint, which is not even taken into account, but important because it’s somewhat unique to this region (mostly accessible in Hungary and Slovenia).

Score: 5+

Price: HUF 1575 HUF 1 350

I now feel more comfortable buying Hungarian Pinot Noir, especially after the positive surprise of Gál Tibor’s from 2002, tasted recently.

This one’s a pigeon blood ruby Pinot from Pannonhalma. It has a creamy cherry compote nose with hints of raspberry.

Nicely composed palate, showing velvety tannins, elegantly styled, suppported by just enough, very subtle acidity. I miss fruitiness however, no extracts here. And it’s not exactly sweet but it feels like a dessert, yet, it’s empty. I’m not sure you think I now what I’m talking about. Very light, drinks fast. Later some oriental spices emerge. At some point the otherwise short length tastes hubba-bubba (candy), or tutti-frutti, later punch.

This wine doesn’t score high and it’s relatively expensive but it was a very pleasant one to drink.

Score: 5+

Price: HUF 3 500

Two mature reds, the other one was a super toscan from Castello Di Fonterutoli called Siepi 1996 side by side today. 

Duennium 2000 of Vylyan is a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from a classic vintage. 

Unpenetrably dark whatever color, more or less black. Very intense chocolate nose, not so much dark chocolate as simple plain chocolate. With it’s dense appearance and bouquet it evokes memories of that unusually warm and long summer of the year 2000.  The very same feeling’s carried through onto the palate. But unlike many Villányi cuvées and CSs of the late nineties, this wine has velvely tannins and a soft texture (after 15 months in new oak). Later a bit harder in character with still fresh acidity. Full-bodied wine with a medium long finish. Hints of farmyard elements and sweetness, but fundamentally tons of mouthfilling melted chocolate. Remarkably short of fruity notes. 

Score: 6+, 7-

Price: n/a

The Supertoscan is 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot. Like Duennium, this blend also has a chocolate character on the nose and on the palate too, in a more restrained way, but also little fruity. 

This is however a slightly thinner wine more of a grippy style, very consistently so even after hours. Very well integrated, better structured, well balanced. Hints of very ripe forest berry fruits. Very firm with good length. It will age well for another 5-10 years.

Tamás Gere is widely rejected by the Hungarian wine press and blogsphere. Is that because his wines are available mostly in hypermarkets or up until Mirtill cuvée he hadn’t been really aiming the wine snobs I’m not sure. He started to build his now 25ha winery earlier than Attila but apparently with a very different approach in mind which didn’t change too much over the last 20 years or so. People close to the Geres told me that Attila is a chemist while Tamás is an honest, although much more modest of the two. 

The review

Rosé 2007 is a blend of Kékfrankos and Portuguiser. It’s dark as a siller, with some brassy reflections but it’s basically cherry-red. The nose isn’t remarkable at all except a raspberry note which flows into a similar palate supported by still fresh acidity. Still sparkling a bit, the wine doesn’t look old for a 2 year old rosé, it’s relatively well-structured but not too exciting. 

Score: 3+/4-

Portugieser 2005 is dark brownish-purplish with a brownish rim and has a classic Portugieser nose with an appealing plum note. The palate is very tannic, first firm and powdery, later getting harder and less integrated. There’s a pleasant tobacco element added to the wine’s smoky, burnt-wood character. Later it will be too woody and harsh. 

Score: 3+/4- points

This is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Zweigelt from Ferenczi Pálma of Szekszárd. None of the grapes is exaggerated in this cuvée and neither is the oak, in spite of the 14 months this wine has seen in barrique.

It opens with a bouquet which is rather Szekszárd than anything else with a not so pleasant stuffy accent but this will clear out in 30 minutes.

The nose is then red pepper, a hint of sour cherry, not too heavy. Medium-bodied wine filled with enough substance needed to get the support from his hard, firm, yet very pleasant tannic backbone. Structure is the most prominent component of this wine but it has a well-composed, slightly sweet, bit fruity palate too. I liked it a lot.

Drink it now, but it would also age well for another 1-2 years.

Score: 5+/6

Price: HUF 2 800

So as promised I’m publishing the rest of my notes from Vinagora Borgála now, I couldn’t do it earlier. These are just impressions rather than proper tasting notes anyway, but here they are: as I said, the white wines in general were a bit disappointing this year, but not all of them.

Nyakas Pinot Griggio 2008, for example, was surprisingly good with a fresh, sweet apple, ripe lemon and grapefruit aromas on the nose and on the palate. Scored at around 5-/5 points. Well balanced, medium acidic wine. I was looking forward to Szeremley Kéknyelű 2005 after our recent vertical tasting of previous vintages but it couldn’t improve the average rating. Although it has an interesting, even exciting Kéknyelű character on the nose (not very intense though) with greenish notes, it has a too acidic and too empty palate, firm, with a citrus element but it’s still one of the most overrated white wines of Hungary, it’s unique selling point is the rarity (perhaps for a reason?). Szőke Mátyás Mátrai Szürkebarát 2007 is more attractive with papaya and green walnut bouquet and more subtle acidity on the palate, scoring 5- points now. I expected more from Laposa’s Bazaltbor’s Badacsonyi Riesling 2002 but it was only good. With a citrus, passion-fruit and breadcrumb nose - I expected more minerality. On the palate oaky-vanilla mingle with hints of minerality. 5-, 5 points here. I was positively surprised by Szatmári Szigligeti Zeusz Válogatás 2006, starting with a medium-dark corn hue with nice greenish reflections. Comes with a heavy character of tea and wet hay aromas on the nose, later matte, lavage and a hint of minerality too. The palate is tea mingled with lot of salty-minerality, full and fairly weighty. Burnt almond, praline and caramel, burnt walnut notes with a salty touch. Scores 5+ points. Karádi-Berger Tokaji Furmint 2007 has the most suspicious industrial apple-juice nose ever (from a very specific company in the south of Balaton), with some litchi and a sour-sweet accent. The palate is the same apple-juice. Interesting.

The same Ráspi wine is usually described by the divided wine society (including regular drinkers and serious professionals) as either i) extremely complex ii) dull iii) simply faulty. I spent, I may say, quite a sum already on trying to understand the hype behind Horvát József’s wines. After several blind tastings, a visit to the master himself, a dozen bottles consumed at home I now tend to agree with the latter group in most cases. Despite all the expressed fanaticism with which Ráspi arguably dedicates himself to winemaking and his obvious efforts to distinguish himself from almost all known winemakers in the country (not to mention the rest of the world) I came to the conclusion that buying Ráspi wines doesn’t pay off. Yes they can be complex and pleasant.Yes I understand how important handicraft winemaking is to him and I admire his work and sophistication in the kitchen. I also used to think that I’m very unlucky in selecting the right bottles. I also came to a point when I thought I may not appreciate enough the exotic finess of the really good wines. After so many purchases and having drank really fine wines I now know that neither of these was the case, or not entirely. Still, I let you decide. This Kékfrankos, although being one of the cheapest wines of Ráspi, has many of the typical elements of 90% of the Ráspi wines I’ve tasted so far, including some of the most expensive wines you can buy in this country.

It has a pale brownish-ruby color. The nose is a mix of different fungi and not just the ones you appreciate. The wine is thick and lacks substance. It’s too acidic for such a small body and the wine becomes more and more sour as time passes. The palate has no clean fruity or mineral elements, it’s a muddy mixture of undefined ones. It’s short on the finish except an appalling sour sensation.

One might simply say that the wine I opened was corked. But then 9 out of 10 Ráspi wines are corked in my experience, regardless of the vintage.

I still have a bottle of Máté Cuvée 2006 left which now sells for a fortune. I’m afraid I may never get to know why.