Fekete Pince
Somlói Hárslevelu
Somlói, Dunántú, Hungary
Harslevelu from Somlo, Hungary, made by the "Grand Old Man" Fekete Bela. Harslevelu is the supporting grape to Furmint in the production of Tokaji.
But here we have only Harslevelu, aka the "lime leaf" or "Linden leaf", which is the dominant grape in the tiny region of Somlo vinified dry.
Minimalist wine making, hand harvesting, fermentation and 3 years aging in old 1200 liter Hungarian oak casks before bottling.
I get a lot of dried apples, honey, lime citrus with and underlying powerful minerality with comparably mouth-watering acidity. The density of the wine distracts you if you don't pay attention for the mouthwatering. You can taste the air this gets with the barrel aging as it broadens the wine and deepens the complexity. Depth, density and power with a deep minerally core.
Ironically I was listening to a @leviopenswine podcast today with JL Chave and how Chave spoke about the importance of barrel aging of the white wines for the air (not the oak per se) to break up the flesh of the white wine with the oxygen...this wine made me think of that description from JL on how he makes his Hermitage Blanc.
Harslevelu from Somlo, Hungary, made by the "Grand Old Man" Fekete Bela. Harslevelu is the supporting grape to Furmint in the production of Tokaji.
But here we have only Harslevelu, aka the "lime leaf" or "Linden leaf", which is the dominant grape in the tiny region of Somlo vinified dry.
Minimalist wine making, hand harvesting, fermentation and 3 years aging in old 1200 liter Hungarian oak casks before bottling.
I get a lot of dried apples, honey, lime citrus with and underlying powerful minerality with comparably mouth-watering acidity. The density of the wine distracts you if you don't pay attention for the mouthwatering. You can taste the air this gets with the barrel aging as it broadens the wine and deepens the complexity. Depth, density and power with a deep minerally core.
Ironically I was listening to a @leviopenswine podcast today with JL Chave and how Chave spoke about the importance of barrel aging of the white wines for the air (not the oak per se) to break up the flesh of the white wine with the oxygen...this wine made me think of that description from JL on how he makes his Hermitage Blanc.
Dry, tart yet round and tannic from brief skin contact. Paired very well with Asian fusion food 😋
Dry, tart yet round and tannic from brief skin contact. Paired very well with Asian fusion food 😋
1 person found it helpfulApr 22nd, 2016dry violet, savory grapefruit
dry violet, savory grapefruit
1 person found it helpfulDec 2nd, 2015Fleshy, floral, and viscous
Fleshy, floral, and viscous
1 person found it helpfulMar 20th, 2014Importer Blue Danube Wines
Nothing else tastes like this. Hungary's smallest basalt volcano that could.
Nothing else tastes like this. Hungary's smallest basalt volcano that could.
1 person found it helpfulMar 3rd, 2014Full bodied, apple pie, golden raisin, ripe but still retains a mineral core. Honeydew and flowers on the finish. I like this as an aperitif. Low acid.
Full bodied, apple pie, golden raisin, ripe but still retains a mineral core. Honeydew and flowers on the finish. I like this as an aperitif. Low acid.
Feb 22nd, 2016
I enjoyed this very much, though I think i'm just a wee bit too late to have experienced its prime.
I enjoyed this very much, though I think i'm just a wee bit too late to have experienced its prime.
Sep 2nd, 2015
