2021 Somlói Apátsági Pince, Hárslevelű, Nagy-Somló, Hungary.
A lovely rich, spicy and mineral driven white wine from the Somló, with its unique ancient volcanic terroir, region in Hungary, this Hárslevelű from Somlói Apátsági Pince delivers a crisp palate of honeyed pear, lemony citrus and golden apple fruits, along with orange blossom, almond paste, minty herbs, dried pineapple, wet flint, and a light waxy note. This fun deep golden hued Hungarian wine is quite mature in feel and very old world in style, maybe not as fresh as one would like, but full of charm, personality and is quite interesting as a whole, and pleasing, not funky, especially with lighter cuisine. This wine sees a hand picked and carefully sorted grapes, which are then whole cluster pressed with fermentation and aging done in well used oak barrels, giving the Hárslevelű its textural quality and slightly oxidative notes. The Somlói Apátsági Pince winery, which was established in 2001, uses native yeasts and old Hungarian oak barrels on this Hárslevelű, that was crafted in their ancient cellars, that they says, was once home to a Benedictines abbey. The basalt and mineral rich soils really makes for intriguing complexity and these wines are nicely balanced, steely and generous, while retaining vital acidity.
Most people think of Hungary as a country that produces sweet wines, like the famous Tokaji, which inspired the great Sauternes, and or cheap rustic reds, but in reality there’s some frantic dry white wines made here, like wines made with historic native varietals like Furmint, Juhfark and Hárslevelű, as seen in this wine. The greater Balaton wine region, including Somló, is located in western Hungary, near Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. The region, as I learned, has a long history of wine growing that dates back to at least Roman times, and maybe longer still, though Hungary’s history is something we’re barley starting the surface of in regards to wine. The terroir here has mild climate, but with long sunny days, and is influenced by the lake, and the volcanic soils provide ideal conditions for growing a variety of grapes. In many ways, this region is not unlike Soave in the Veneto region of Italy, and there are a few common traits, especially with oak matured cru versions, though the native grapes like Hárslevelű and Juhfark are very distinctive in their own right. These brilliant Somló whites are well worth searching out and I highly recommend looking for Fekete Bela, who was the grand old man of Somló and these Somlói Apátsági Pince offerings.
($30 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive