Fekete Pince

Somlói Hárslevelu

9.019 ratings
9.08 pro ratings
Somlói, Dunántú, Hungary
Hárslevelu
Top Notes For
Tom Kobylarz

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.

1 person found it helpfulAug 2nd, 2016
Liz O'Neal

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, 2016
Rob Mcalister

dry violet, savory grapefruit

dry violet, savory grapefruit

1 person found it helpfulDec 2nd, 2015
Tanner Walle

Power up!

Power up!

1 person found it helpfulAug 9th, 2014
Chad Hinds

Fleshy, floral, and viscous

Fleshy, floral, and viscous

1 person found it helpfulMar 20th, 2014
Eric Danch

Importer 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, 2014
Andres Montoya

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.

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
Skye LaTorre

Sommelier The Meatball Shop

8.6

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
Chad Walsh

Feel fresh and quaffable

Feel fresh and quaffable

Dec 9th, 2014
Brett Pallesen

Me sooo Hungary

Me sooo Hungary

Oct 18th, 2014