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.
I like the Szekszárd rosé wines which are, at least those I’ve tasted so far were, relatively dense and fruity but refreshing. Ferenczi is another winery which is not listed on Google’s first 20 or so pages so I can’t tell you more about them just now.
The review
This Rosé Cuvée 2007 has a pink color with brassy reflections. Creamy strabwerry on the nose, dense and sweet but light. I guessed Merlot and Pinot Noir from it but I didn’t suspect Zweigelt in this blend of three. Now that I know it I think there’s more of it than of Pinot Noir actually. The wine delivers the very same character on the palate with the same intensity. Fairly round with a hint of sweetness which is perfectly balanced by fresh and lovely acidity supported by some chalky and salty notes. Medium-bodied but refreshing (at the right temperature of course). I like rosé wines as in Provence: chilled to around 5 Celsius and drink it as a refreshing soda. But this wine offers more than that. With enough fruitiness and that mineral twist adding depth to the wine makes it above average and more than just a summer mid-day refresher. It’s firm enough with its elegant acidity and it has a relatively long finish with punch and clove aromas. And it’s nicely textured.
If Debreczeni’s marriage with Ferenczi is as good as of these three varieties’ than they’re a happy couple.
Score: 5+/6-
Price: HUF 1 400 Of course it’s a best buy!
I’ve been hesitating whether to write this post or not . I’ve always been a bit sceptical about the tier-2 winemakers in all regions, since even tier-1 producers are still trying to define themselves, they’re busy establishing their own style and I think this is just normal (let’s not go through the history of the last 50 years of this country this time). It’s also normal that these people (many of them not even certified producers or winemakers) are still learning this profession, because purchasing cutting-edge equipment is just the beginning. Consequently it’s also normal to have better years followed by not so good products even from not so bad harvests. A too balanced series of vintages is even suspicous.
So fishing in the lower-end segment, hunting for treasures is a game where the probability of success is relatively low and the reward is usually only a modest enthousiastic discovery of a promising tentative.
Márton Mayer emerged as a known tier-2 Villány winemaker in the lat nineties. I was hesitating writing this post because my previous tastings of his wines were diasappointing and I don’t like jumping to conclusion after one single sampling if the result is bad. And this is the case with the Mayer Kopár from 2004. It may be unfair to say after one bottle that this wine has nothing, really nothing special to offer. Especially for almost EUR 20. Since I started writing this blog so readers can learn from my lesson, I decided to share my opinion about Mayer Kopár 2004 with You.
The review
Having opened the bottle, nice, concentrated dark frurity smell rules the decanter. 30 minutes later the intense fruit gives room for heavier smells, leathery and tobacco, mixed with less fresh fruits. And that’s more or less it. It lacks complexity, its tannins remain harsh even after hours. Interestingly enough it’s not smoky, the only thing this wine gained from the barrell is its extreme tannins. The finish is bitterness. The word best describing this wine is woody. It’s lean and harsh, plus dominantly sour too. This wine, at least the bottle I opened, today qualifies for the top5 most overrated wines I’ve tasted this year. I feel lucky that this was a Xmes gift form a business partner and I did not spend all that much on it.
Score: 3+
Price: EUR 19
