Budapest Daily Review

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

This Chardonnay from 2007 by Légli has medium golden color, very bright.

The bouquet is surprisingly simple: the fruitiness is virtually unnoticed and there’s an unpleasant note which first I suspected was an initial joke of sulphites. But it’s not much different on the palate: a chalky-mineral element there but little else. The nose will have a fading floral character after a while. In spite of the shortages the wine has a relatively good balance of acidity and residual sugar for it has little of both. But at least it has a good texture. This wine has a shockingly short finish and before that only a faded mix of crab apple and other unripe continental fruits to offer.

I expected more from someone who’s said to be a Chardonnay specialist. Something like a lighter version of the applauded Légli Landord, 2007.

Score: 4

Price:  HUF 2 200

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)

Stocking Hungarian wines is a bit of a lottery still: during the summer I opened two Gere from the classic year of 2000, one of them (Kopár) was excellent just as I expected but the Cabernet Sauvignon Barrique which was supposed to be the robust, oaky Cabernet of Gere had been falling apart (although the two have never even been in the same league).

Now I opened a Vylyan Chardonnay 2003 which every year was sold with a discount when the new vintages took over the shelves so I couldn’t expect too much improvement from it by now. But in fact, it wasn’t bad after all which makes the durability of wines a bit of mistery to me which was further augmented by a Concha Y Toro Chardonnay from the Casillero Del Diablo series also from 2003. Although having very different character, never having such acidity as the Vylyan (which itself has a relatively low level of it with Hungarian standards) but having had a bigger body and more residual sugar it aged relatively well, or at least didn’t disappoint me so much as the Gere C.S. The Chilian wine had bright, deep golden color and oily move, and an incredibly intense tutti-frutti nose with floral notes and a honey undertone - fresh! Very aromatic but had a deepness, with several vertical layers still. The palate showed more of its age especially that all its acidity had gone, literally, although it was still enjoyable as a drink but not as much as a wine. The Vylyan Chardonnay which would have scored probably around 4 points which would qualify it as a decent wine for appr. HUF 1 400 or so today, lost even less from its values and would be still around 3+ points which is relatively good for a wine which was never meant to be consumed later than 2004.

Note: all wines were kept in the same cellar since their purchase. I know, in a place with humidity visibly above the desirable.

With a yearly 10 000 bottles output from 5.5 hectars, Schellmann is a small winery producing 50% white wines and 50% red wines. After having learned about the 95 points their Chardonnay received from Falstaff in 2003 I become interested in the Chardonnay from 2005 when I saw its charming label on the “sale” shelf of Wein & Co. in Wien. I thought it would be a good benchmark for the few Hungarian high-end Chardonnays. And indeed, I found it very similar in style and quality to Monarchia’s Chardonnay Battonage, reviewed recently on this blog.

The review

Deep color with brassy reflections.

The nose is full of Chardonnay and barrique oak notes. As it opens a bit intense ripe, sweet-citrus elements (and pine-apple) mingle with the vanilla undertone.

The wine is full-bodied with lot of extracts and a bit of residual sugar but with a good structure. I expected it to be more acidic, but it’s just fine. The grapes must have been harvested ripe and the juice probably spent some time in contact with the lee, providing it with this dense, mouth-filling sensation.

The nose improves after an hour and the palate also evolves a more intense character of aromas fundamentally of grapefruit,  lemon and quince now with an elderberry accent. It’s a heavy wine and has a long finish with some bitterness in it.

The wine has some qualities of a really great fine wine but it already seems a little old.

Score: 6+/7-

Price: EUR30 appr

Bright golden color, I expected darker, more brownish tone.

The nose is sulphuric with honey and floral notes of medium intensity (I expected more intense aromas).

On the palate it’s well structured, well integrated, nicely composed peanut butter and peanut  with elegant acidity and nice, smooth texture. There’s a tiny bitterness of walnut too. I suspect high level of alcohol, a bit burning. Round wine with some residual sugar embedded into the nice acidity. The burned sugar finish is long and very pleasant.

With time, lot of caramel with burnt walnut on the palate and a touch of vanilla. The wine stretches in the whole mouth from the peak of the tongue to the back-end, filling it with a smooth, velvety sensation. The nose becomes more marzipan-vanilla after an hour.

It well worths the price.

Score: 7-, 7 points

Price: HUF 3 000

The Mór wine festival accidentally falls onto the same days as the more prestigious Villány and Tokaj wine festivals. The less known event however attracted a crowd this saturday that completely filled the streets despite the chilly wind. Mór offered them a street music festival combined with a typical Hungarian country street event (i.e. tons of unhealthy food, vattacukor and usual market crap) with families of all ages from the surrounding cities and villages and, to my biggest surprise, foreign visitors. I’ve heard French and English words, besides the German spoken by a band marching the streets dressed like… whatever (I believe however that these musical events and football games provide you with a unique opportunity to see man of all ages feeling good in their long white socks showing off. Skirts are just an extra here). 

Anyway, I had to drink very quickly because my wife’s been fluttering like the kocsonya (missing from the menu, btw, and it’s a Hungarian food if you would be wondering, basically cold pork bone soup with pork leg in it) so I had no opportunity to discover the rule(s) which drive people to one winery’s quiosque and make them completely ignore others. 

The Information stand however had a middle-aged lady who not only distributed brochures but knew all of the winemakers I asked her about by nickname (I didn’t, so I had to double-check them). I still missed Pontica. 

Due to the strong wind and a rush, my tasting notes are very short and quite unreliable. 

Miklóscsabi - Utazótáska, 2007

This Királyleányka has pale bright color, round acidity and crab apple and pie character on the palate, completed with residual sugar leaving a fresh impression. 

Score: 3+, 4-

Bozóky - Leányka, 2007

Pale, almost transparent color with greenish reflexions. Less intense with less bitterness and acidity, but overall a pleasant wine. 

Score: 3+/4-

Bozóky - Cuvée, 2007

Pale yellow with greenish reflexions, just like the Királyleányka and other Bozóky wines to follow. Bozóky is considered a major winery in Mór but even their cellar is quite small. The old lady who took care of the visitors was very friendly and responsive considering that they attracted most of the visitors interested in a tour in a local cellar. I never quite understood though how can people enjoy a glass of wine in a crowded, smelly room. These notes were taken outside of the building. 

So the Cuvée has a similar pale tone as the others. It’s smoother with less acidity but with a more intense nose and flavors. 

Score: 4-

Bozóky - Ezerjó, 2006

Pale yellow color. More elegant than the others but still with a quite short finish. Better structure and better integrated even with a mineral undertone and an appealing cabbage-like finish. 

Score: 4

Miklóscsabi - Haramia Cuvée, 2007

This semi-dry Cuvée is made of Tramini, Leányka and Pinot Blanc. It’s full-bodied compared to the previous ones and this late harvest character is dominant until the finish. It has a distinctive pale-brassy color. The residual sugar is supported by nice, round acidity. It has better structure than the Bozóky wines. A velvet-vanilla undertone complete the overall nice sensation. 

Score: 5 points

Maurus - Leányka, 2007

Medium-pale golden color and floral notes on the nose. Well balanced with medium body, round acidity and long finish. 

I have to note here that the Maurus wines have very nice labels. And although only the Ezerjó is produced by Kamocsay (on a total of 0,7 hectares) the wines to follow somehow have a common stylish element. 

Score: 4 points

Maurus - Sauvignon Blanc, 2007

Remarkably nice onion-brassy color and nice, round acidity. 

Score: 4+/5

Maurus - Rajnai Rizling, 2007

Pale yellow with green-apple reflexions. On the palate oaky-vanilla notes maybe a little bit over the top. On the palate fruity elements and some residual sugar are supported by medium acidity. It’s a nice riesling with a long finish. 

Score: 5+/6-

Maurus - Ezerjó, 2007

Pale bright yellow. On the palate complex aromas of vanilla, oak and floral notes with gooseberry and acacia elements and round acidity. A little bit sweeter than it should be for a dry wine. 

Score: 6/6-

Maurus - Chardonnay

Elegant wine with some oaky vanilla and appealing bitter acidity and a tobacco-like undertone. 

Score: 6 points

I was drawned to Chateau Megyer wines few weeks ago due to a meeting with its owner, Monsieur Jean Louis Laborde, a nice people by the way. It’s not that Chateau Megyer wines would be difficult to find, indeed, they’re everywhere. And that’s why I’ve been avoiding them and as you’ll see, maybe I should not have done so.

The review

Medium deep golden color. The nose is acacia, honey and caramel. Not quite what I expected. On the palate woody, even tanninic supported by unexpectedly buoyant acidity. The wine is full-bodied and not young, but neither too old. And it’s neither Chardonnay-esque. I suspect oak barrel aging maybe slightly over the top. As time passes, stewed apricot dominates the nose and on the palate along with minerality. Great combination, if you ask me. And it gets better with time.

The wine is full of surprises, considering the vintage. It’s round, intense and mineral. I suspect it was late harvested. 2-3 hours later, burnt sugar and flowers. It’s even too intense. The autumn leaf smell is much appreciated. This wine really made my day.

Score: 6, 6+

Price: HUF 1 410, EUR 5,5-6

I’m confused. I found a statement on the web by Andreas Ebner about their varietals (Cabernet sauvignon 25 %, Cabernet franc 25 %, Merlot 25 %, Pinot noir 25 %) which does not include Chardonnay. I also read somewhere that Mr. Ebner made his 2006 Chardonnay from grapes he bought from other producers. But the label says it differently. Anyway. Mr. Ebner has (with or without Chardonnay) 6.5 hectares in the Mozsgó area, on Nyakashegy to be more precise near Mozsgó. I’ve never been there myself.

This is my last purchase in a row of seeking good value white wines under 5-6 euros a bottle for long, hot summer days. So far with little success (Chardonany, Furmint, and a positive example, a cuvée).

The review

Pale hay color with green reflections. It comes with some bobbles and with a smell of added sulphur dioxide which slowly disappears - too slowly. No floral notes but some aromas. Acids are palpable in the back of the tongue only, lasting not too long. I don’t expect so much acidity without fruity and floral compensation in a Chardonnay. It has a drop of gooseberry though, but altogether it’s a very simple wine with a sensation of added sparkling water. I tasted the Szabó Riesling from the day before, and it’s a whole other world.

This Ebner Chardonnay is perfectly suitable for college people drinking in group having a good time and a simple meal - this wine will definitely not distract the attention from the conversation. I’m really hesitating between 3+ and 4-.

Score: 3

Price: EUR 5

In one of the Guardian’s recent week-end editions I read about 10 things to appreciate in England’s absence from the Euro 2008 football cup and the fact that you can go to your cornershop anytime and you’ll find cold bier in Britan has reached a quite respective ranking on this list.

I am thankful that Hungary did not make it to the final either because Hungarians’ve been having a rubbish team since the mid-eighties. But it does not keep people from watching Euro 2008 games and drink beer. So why not change that beer for a wine for a change, I thought.

I wanted to have something widely available, cheap but drinkable - these must be the most important criteria for European Cup times, I thought. My intention was to give You a good hint for a not-so-frenetic Poland vs Croatia.

I ran into a sale of Chardonnay Barrique of Bezerics-Németh winery from the Balaton region on a hypermarket shelf (cheap and available). I cannot share too much information about the winery since their flash website does not run on firefox. But I remember having bought their Chardonnay and Cserszegi Fűszeres from Cserszegtomaj before and I always thought of them as good value for money in the low-end segment of Hungarian white wines. This Pogányvári Chardonnay Barrique for appr. EUR 4 must be a best-buy I thought (since barrique in Hungary frequently refers to a higher quality in the wineries’ will, hence more expensive too).

The review

The deep wheat color was accompanied by some strange smell after opening the bottle and by lots of bobbles (it’s not meant to be a sparkling wine however). You would expect relatively lot of sweetness from a wine from 2006 with 12,1% alcohol in it but this particular one did not deliver it. Instead, it fills your mouth with a not so fresh, heavy oaky taste and overly cooked corn meal supported by lot of acid and medium tannin. Grapefruit, quince and peer are also present with a soar finish, but nothing is in harmony with anything. Lot of wood and wet straw with stuffy smell and the stewed fruits cannot help it out. I cannot enjoy this wine, its errors are obvious but interestingly its potential as well. This wine could have been a very nice wine indeed but something went wrong during the élevage process. I’m sorry for Bezerics-Németh, they can do much better than this. But I wish I sticked to the beer instead. Or grabbed a bottle of Peljesac…

Score: 3- points

Price: EUR 4