Wine & Spirits - June 2013 - (Page 71)
Year’s Best HUNGARiAN wiNes
Our blind panels tasted 49 new-release Hungarian wines over the past 12 months. Tara Q. Thomas, our critic for Hungary, rated 25 as
exceptional (90+) and 7 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
90 | Fekete Béla
W HI T E
Matra
188697
89 | M. & Z. Szoke
˝
$13
2011 Mátra Zöld Veltelini (Best Buy) ^ The
Szo
˝kes tend 62 acres of vines at the base
of Kékes, the highest peak of the volcanic
chain that winds south to Tokaj. Their zöld
veltelini (grüner veltliner) is richer than those
that come out of Austria, with an abundance
of ripe yellow and green plum flavor and a
cashmere texture. It’s a touch hot—a white
pepper note that’s got more burn than the
variety’s typical spice—but it’s also built for
bigger dishes, like a veal blanquette. § Blue
Danube Wine Co., Los Altos Hills, CA
188702
87 | M. & Z. Szoke
˝
$13
2011 Mátra Pinot Gris (Best Buy) ^ There’s
a nutty, saline savor to this ripe, golden gris,
an autumnal white with a rustic edge that will
grip a pork chop. § Blue Danube Wine Co., Los
Altos Hills, CA
SoMlo
188731
92 | Spiegelberg
$37
2010 Somló Szent Ilona Olaszrizling ^ István Spiegelberg started making wine as a
hobby, a reprieve from his job test-driving
BMWs in Munich. In 2007, he moved to his
mother’s hometown of Somló, and turned his
full attention to his vineyard, five acres he
handpicks mostly by himself. This might be
the loveliest welschriesling I’ve ever tasted,
a big, busty wine with expansive flavors. All
the honeysuckle, sage and peach nectar flavor radiates from a core of volcanic minerality, the firm acidity giving it a regal stance.
It’s elegant, ready for a salt-crusted branzino. §
Blue Danube Wine Co., Los Altos Hills, CA
188730
91 | Spiegelberg
$37
2010 Somló Szent Ilona Furmint ^ This furmint fairly rumbles with volcanic energy, a
dark mineral strength that adds a ruddy, ferrous blush and firmness to its roasted peach
fruit. It’s ripe and peppery, a powerful wine
for mangalitsa pork, roasted until melting. §
Blue Danube Wine Co., Los Altos Hills, CA
188739
$25
2009 Somló Juhfark ^ At 84 years old, Fekete
Béla still tends his ten acres of vineyard in
Somló by himself, lending some credence
to the old Hungarian belief that juhfark has
health-giving properties. His version is as
sharp and mineral as a Fino Sherry, with a
wooly, lanolin-like texture padding the searing acidity. It’s not for the faint of heart, but
it would make short work of grilled bluefish. §
Blue Danube Wine Co., Los Altos Hills, CA
tokaj
188387
96 | Szepsy
$110
2008 Tokaji Szent Tamás Furmint ^ István
Szepsy is one of the most respected winemakers in Tokaj, a man who produced wine
throughout the Communist era both in a
cooperative and in his own artisan winery. He
went on to launch Királyudvar with Anthony
Hwang of Domaine Huet, where he and winemaker Zoltán Demeter pioneered the concept of a high-quality dry furmint. His own
2008 from the revered Szent Tamás vineyard
shows how far this idea has come. It has the
noblesse of a grand old Burgundy with a distinctly furmint flavor, smoky and peppery
with a limey edge. The acidity moves trippingly through the stony flavor, firming the
wine even while keeping it agile and lively. As
it lasts, the flavors go deeper, as if reaching
through layers of volcanic soil. It will last well
another decade at least, although it’d be delicious now with roast sweetbreads and bacon. §
Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY
188704
93 | Bott
$30
2011 Tokaji Csontos Furmint ^ József Bodo
farms three acres of old vines in the steeply
sloping Csontos vineyard. His wife, Judit,
takes over in the cellar, employing a traditional wooden Hungarian press and native
yeasts to ferment the wine in 220-liter old
oak barrels. It’s elegant, with a quartz-like
clarity to the honey-ripe fruit, a taut line of
limey acidity streamlining its broad, firm
body. Spice and citrus notes shine through
the density like gold flakes, a quiet touch of
opulence to balance its restraint. § Blue Danube Wine Co., Los Altos Hills, CA
188084
93 | Királyudvar
$20
92 | Demeter Zoltán
$60
92 | Szepsy
$40
90 | Demeter Zoltán
$60
2010 Tokaji Sec Furmint ^ Even before its
identity was revealed to the panel, this vintage of Királyudvar’s dry furmint inspired
several tasters to draw comparisons to regal
Loire chenins—remarkable given that the
winery is owned by the same man who owns
Huet. In part it’s the way the prodigious
peach fruit wraps around the wine’s minerality, round and smooth; it’s also due to the
minerality—more chalk than smoky volcano
(someone said it tasted like peaches mashed
up with chalk), and powerful enough to carry
the sweet fruit firmly into the savory realm.
The acidity is electric yet doesn’t intrude on
the wine’s smooth texture, maintaining its
freshness for days after opening. § The Rare
Wine Co., Sonoma, CA
188719
2009 Tokaji Szerelmi Hàrslevelú ^ Opulent
and complex, this demolishes any fallacies
about hàrslevelú being incapable of greatness. Off 60-year-old hàrslevelú vines planted
on the pure loess soils of the Tokaj hill and
fermented in barrel, it comes on like a sweet
wine, rich in honey and deep yellow fruit;
then the acidity rounds it up with authority and precision, revealing the savory side.
It lasts, sandy and salty with a pink peppercorn spice, the hazelnut richness contrasted
by dry, floral notes of chamomile and Kaffir
lime peel. § Blue Danube Wine Co., Los Altos
Hills, CA
188386
2009 Tokaji Furmint ^ Straight out of the
bottle this is intimidating, with a fire underneath the pineapple-ripe fruit that suggests
the volcanoes under the vines aren’t as dormant as believed. Air takes the edge off, folding the funky asafetida spice into the fruit and
calming it into a nutty, wheaty richness. Still,
it feels as layered in on itself as a croissant,
needing a few more years (or a rack of lamb)
to mellow. § Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY
188724
2011 Tokaji Veres Furmint ^ This comes off
30-year-old vines planted on rhyolitic tufa,
very light rocks that Demeter says look like
WINE & SPIRITS
JUNE 2013
71
http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2013
Wine & Spirits - June 2013
Editor’s Note
Happenings
Fined & Filtered
Letter from Bordeaux
Mezcal
Destination: Atlanta, GA
Napa Cabernet, Interrupted
Tempranillo à la Chambolle
Mezcal in Mexico City
Value Brands of the Year
Introduction
Top Values of the Year at $15 or less.
Ribera del Duero
Southern France
Southern Italy
Hungary
American New Releases
Imported New Releases
Books
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