Special Report: Hungary Land of Plenty
An Update on Hungarian Wines & Buyer’s Guide to Top Releases
By John Szabo MS
When the acacia trees bloom in spring, the countryside fills with their intoxicating perfume, ceding aromatic space eventually to linden blossoms, and then sweet summer flowers and golden fields of wheat, radiant cornfields and dazzling sunflowers. Hungary remains a remarkably rural country at the heart of Europe, with over half of the country’s land reserved for agriculture, and significant portions for grasslands and forests, orchards and gardens.
Sunset over the volcanic landscape of Lake Balaton’s norht shore.
Jump to the Buyer’s Guide:
Dry Tokaji & Other Whites
Tokaji Aszú
Szamorodni
Kadarka
Kéfrankos
Villányi Franc (Cabernet Franc)
Bikavér and Red Blends
This plentiful and munificent land is also home to vineyards, of course, though only 1% of surface area is dedicated to grape growing, some 60,000 hectares at the most recent count. Yet that relatively small area harbours noteworthy diversity: at least a couple dozen autochthonous varieties of commercial significance, and many more awaiting rediscovery and propagation. Add in the more well-travelled varieties and the spread on the table swells further.
And the flourish of flavours embraces cultural and philosophical dimensions as well. The majority of Hungary’s wine producers are small, family-owned affairs, and anyone who has spent time with Hungarians will have assuredly experienced first-hand the rich strands of opinions and ideas that form the fabric of Hungarian society, and the steadfastness with which they are individually held. Everyone has their own recipe for the perfect gulyás and cabbage rolls, their own secret source of the best home-made paprika and kolbász.
There are as many firm beliefs in the correct way to grow and ferment and age the finest furmint or kékfrankos as there are growers of furmint and kékfrankos, sometimes even more, and it goes without saying that everybody’s little patch of land is incontestably the choicest cru.
Not long ago, the national marketing gurus behind Hungarian wines sought to capture this helter-skelter reality with the over-arching tag line “Személyesen”, meaning “Personally”. The idea was to reflect and celebrate the fact that every Hungarian winemaker does things a little differently.
Admittedly, at the time, I thought it was a terrible idea for a national promotional campaign. The message of multiplicity would surely only serve to confuse consumers. How can one feel comfortable ordering a bottle Hungarian wine without a clue of what to expect? Already the number of unpronounceable grape varieties and obscure (also unpronounceable) regions is daunting enough. But know you say that even the same grapes from the same regions taste differently? It’s like heaping uncertainty onto the unknown, a marketing clanger if there ever was one.
Enthusiastic crowd sampling Hungarian wines.
Yet some years later I’ve come to understand the appeal of the campaign, even the genius of it. After all, what is wine if not a vehicle for personal discovery? A window opened on a time, a place, an idea that once belonged to someone? The idea was prescient, if perhaps a little before its time, as the world clamours ever-more for unique, distinctive, personalized experiences. In this world, Hungary has much to offer.
And my confidence to reach blindly is buoyed by the vastly improved winemaking infrastructure and diffusion of knowledge in the country – it’s as rare to find objectively defective wines in Hungary today as anywhere, which is to say very rare indeed.
So, the differences one encounters in all of these “personal” expressions are measured in shades and half tones, in all the delightful little nuances of texture and flavour and feeling that make the wine world so rich. What have you got to lose? Even if it all goes wrong, it’s just a glass of wine. How terrible can it be? And I’m guessing that if you are preoccupied with uniformity and certainty in your glass, then you surely won’t have read this far.
How do Hungarian vineyards sound?
How Does a Hungarian Vineyard Sound?
This past April I returned to Budapest for the 2nd annual Hungarian Wine Summit, a one-day conference featuring multiple masterclasses and tastings. I was primed and excited to leap back into the unknown. As many times as I have been to Hungary over the years (and I’ve been plenty), I’m still gratified and thrilled to be able to learn, to find new discoveries, new twists on old stories, new smiles on old faces, new faces with fresh smiles.
A different sort of music from vines.
While the newly appointed team behind the (seriously revamped and recharged) Wines of Hungary marketing association have dropped the Személyesen tag line, they certainly continue to lean into the diversity angle. From comprehensive geology exhibits to bespoke perfumes hand-crafted to emulate the aromatics of Hungary’s signature varieties (in the perfumer’s personal interpretation), to an audio demonstration of the unique electrical signals emitted from vines and converted into music, this was anything but a predictable, rinse-and-repeat summit, underscoring diversity. I’d even suggest it’s a model for others to follow.
Her Excellency Maria Vass-Salazar, Hungarian Ambassador to Canada.
Leaning into Diversity at the Hungarian Embassy in Ottawa
Freshly attuned to the sounds of Hungarian grapes, I was invited to share the delicious diversity and complexity of Hungarian wines with a full house at the Ambassador’s residence in Ottawa in early June. During a masterclass for a group of top sommeliers and writers, and a subsequent walk-around attended by several other curious ambassadors, we explored the nuances of olaszrizling and furmint, kadarka and kékfrankos, and much in between. The amount of enthusiasm from attendees underscored the interest in discovery and exploration that is sweeping the wine world, with relatively undiscovered countries like Hungary, with its rich diversity and long winegrowing history, poised to draw much attention.
Get ahead of the curve and track down some of the wines in the buyer’s guide below.
Masterclass at the Hungarian Embassy,Ottawa.
Buyer’s Guide to New Hungarian Releases
The following wines were tasted during the Hungarian Wine Summit in April 2024 and subsequent visits to wineries, as well as at the Hungarian Embassy in Ottawa in early June. For all reviews search for “John’s Hungarian Summit 2024” on WineAlign.
Dry Tokaji & Other Whites
Although famous for brilliant sweet tokaji aszú, the most exciting development in the Tokaj region since the turn of the century has been the rise of dry whites. Re-mapping the top crus for growing non-botrytized grapes and perfecting handling in the winery have been the priority of the last 20 years. The results are now in bottle, and a critical mass of quality producers has been reached to make this a formidable category.
It’s also worth pointing out that over 70 per cent of Hungary’s vineyard land is planted to white varieties, making it the country’s specialty.
96 Orosz Gábor Winery Tokaji Furmint Betsek 2019
A rhyolite tufa-based cru with zeolite. Many consider Betsek a classic cru for aszú wines, but according to Orosz, superb dry wines like this can be made from the upper parcels, where there’s naturally less botrytis. Indeed, any botrytis-affected berries are scrupulously kept out of the fermentation; only ripe, healthy bunches are selected for this wine. It spends one year in barrel, followed by another year in bottle before release. Terrific aromatics; textbook, classy and classic furmint. The palate is chewy, lightly phenolic, concentrated and full-bodied to be sure, with a blast of stones and salt, even severe. It comes across and warm and mouthfilling but carries a moderate 13.5% alcohol declared. All in all, a dense, uncompromising, singular dry furmint, to be sipped in small doses. An extreme volcanic wine. Tasted April 2024.
95 Gilvesy Tarányi Riesling 2021 Badacsony
2021 is a lovely vintage for the Tarányi riesling, Gilvesy’s single vineyard, old vine planting from the 1970s, aged in foudres. In 2021 the wood is very much a backdrop (all used at this stage), with a palate dripping with salty acids – sapidity is off the charts, while density and length, and complexity, are terrific to be sure. This could be the best Tarányi to date, also sadly one of the last vintages of these old vines as the vineyard has since been replanted due to uneconomic yields. Tasted April 2024.
94 Orosz Gábor Winery Tokaji Hárslevelű Király 2019
Orosz’s parcel in the Király cru was planted in 1991 at the very start of the new wave in Tokaj, one of the first sites to be renovated post-communism. This pure Hárslevelű is spontaneously fermented and aged in 300 and 500l oak cask, mostly used, and it offers very pretty, floral, aromatics in the varietal register, sweet green, very much linden-flower driven. Acids are very high for the variety (8 grams/liter), making it seem quite tight and minerally in the best way, also very dry even with 5 grams of residual sugar. In the end it’s a pleasingly stony and severe example, a wine lover’s wine, with excellent length. Best from 2025. Tasted April 2024.
94 Demetervin Úrágya 57 2016 Tokaj
Demetervin’s pure furmint Úrágya bottlings is made from 100+ year old vines (the vineyard contains other varieties, though only the furmint is picked for this cuvée, while the Hárslevelű goes to a sparkling.) The 2016 delivers a really lovely set of aromatics, delicately perfumed, with fully integrated oak at this stage (aged in 225l Zemplén oak, 25% new). Fine balance on the palate with classic botanical notes. Excellent length. Superb example, textbook. Less than 600 bottles were produced from 1/3 of a hectare. Tasted April 2024.
93 Samuel Tinon Tokaji Szamorodni Dry 2009
And now for something completely different… Tinon, a widely acknowledged master of this ancient style of tokaji, uses botrytis-affected Furmint with a splash of Hárslevelű for his Szomorodni, allowed here to complete fermentation to dryness (shrivelling was minimal in 2009), followed by long ageing under a layer of foamy yeast that naturally forms on the surface of the wine, in a similar method to that used for Vin Jaune in the Jura, France, and Fino/Amontillado sherries in Spain, also relics from centuries ago but making a revival. Expect all the nutty-yeasty character imparted by aldehydes, also a rich and round, voluptuous texture riding on generous 14.5% alcohol declared that gives an impression of sweetness before turning very dry on the back end. The little fruit that’s present runs in the yellow and orange-fleshed spectrum, like apricot and quince paste, orange marmalade, with vanilla and clove, and notable bitterness on the finish. A singular, unique style to be sure – there are precious few of such wines still being made in the world, and even in Tokaj it’s a rarity. A wine to dry with hard sheep’s milk cheeses, for example, or even roast chicken or Peking duck – so much to play with here. Tasted October 2024.
93 Balassa Bor Tokaji Furmint Szent Tamás 2021
A ripe and powerful, pure furmint from the great Szent Tamás vineyard, a cru classified since 1737. Gentle wood influence is noted alongside a touch of youthful reduction, still some years away from prime enjoyment. The palate is broad and dense, framed by succulent acids. Length is excellent. Best from 2025. Tasted April 2024.
92 Samuel Tinon Birtok Dry Tokaj Furmint 2021
The birtok (“estate”) is Samuel Tinon’s entry blend of multiple crus and vineyards, almost exclusively furmint. The nose of the 2021 is delicate and minerally, a classic example of fruit backwards, stone forward furmint, lightly floral, like apple and almond blossoms, very citric and lemony on the palate. I love the sharpness of the acids, succulent and saliva-inducing, cushioned by the depth and warmth of 13.5% alcohol declared, the magic of the variety to be both generously ripe and full of lively acids. There are no signs of oxidation 3 years in, indicating slow development – I’d like to see it flesh out over the next 2-3 years to a more mellow and harmonious whole, even if it provides plenty of pleasurable refreshment now. Classically styled, tight and minerally. Tasted April 2024.
91 Orosz Gábor Winery Tokaji Furmint 2022
This wine belongs to Orosz’s non-estate fruit line, hence the attractive pricing, and yet quality remains high across the board. The ’22 furmint, aged briefly in a mix of old wood and stainless steel, is clean and very fresh, fragrant, with attractive ripe citrus and apple-inflected fruit. The palate is crisp, fresh, dry, but with a sweet fruit edge, including very ripe yellow fruit. I find this infinitely inviting and fun to drink, and with more depth than the standard entry mean from the region. ready to enjoy or hold short term. Tasted April 2024.
91 Tokaj Kikelet Winery Tokaji Furmint Tarczal 2021
Hailing from France, Stephanie Berecz has been in Tokaj for the better part of 30 years, so hardly an outsider, fashioning high quality wines from 7.3ha around the village of Tarcal (22k bottles annually). This is a pure estate furmint from typical loess over volcanic bedrock, crafted in a relatively tight, juicy, citrussy style, reflective of the cooler 2021 vintage, but also with the creamier aspect of loess-based furmint. I like the liveliness and crunchy aspect, pure, with a touch of phenolics – nice grip. Flavours run in the typical golden delicious apple, fresh pear, honey, summer hay and quince spectrum with complexity developing with exposure to air. Length and depth are very good. A sharp value in the Kikelet range. Best now-2027 or so. Tasted April 2024.
Tokaji Aszú
Still the king of Hungarian wines 500 years after the recipe was first devised, tokaji aszú, is, at its best, the finest late harvest, botrytis-affected wine in the world. No other wine combines such rich amounts of sugar, dry extract and acids, which makes aszú wines so perfectly balanced and virtually timeless. If I were James Suckling or Wine Enthusiast Magazine, I would have to apply a 200-point scale to put these wines into proper perspective.
97 Patricius Tokaji 6 Puttonyos Aszú 2017
2017 was a terrific vintage in Tokaj, and at Patricius, here with lovely, cream textured though with high acidity (9 grams), also holding high sugar content (212 grams/liter) effortlessly. The nose is beautifully clean and very mineral alongside classic yellow and orange fruit, quince, apricot, saffron and orange peel, while length on the palate is tremendous. This highly intense and concentrated aszú will surely continue to improve and grow in complexity over the next decade, but can also be considered timeless and virtually indestructible – I can see this sailing well into the second half of the century. 90% furmint with zéta and Hárslevelű, organically-farmed, and matured in 220 Hungarian oak barrels for 30 months. Tasted April 2024.
97 Royal Tokaji Szent Tamás Aszú 6 puttonyos 2017
From the legendary Szent Tamás vineyard in Mád, this is stunning wine from Royal, very clean, with utterly beguiling aromas, so very pretty – 2017 was a terrific botrytis vintage in Tokaj. I love the sweet pear purée, saffron, floral-citrus blossoms, cherry stone, marzipan and so much more. The palate is creamy, glycerous, voluptuous, billowing with flavour, yet finishing crisp and clean, palpably salty, with outstanding length. A magnificent aszú to be sure, drinking now, but this is timeless, and should be worth sipping in half a century from now. Tasted April 2024.
97 Samuel Tinon Tokaji Aszú 2008 Tokaj
Tinon embraces the traditonal oxidative handling of his aszús, and this 2008, aged in barrel for 2 years, pours a deep burnt orange, mahogany colour. The aromatics are remarkable: a wild mix of of dried ginger and pink peppercorn, cinnamon and clove, nutmeg and star anise, a real, exotic Chinese 5-spice-like profile. The palate enters full, rich and sweet before acids drive through to sweep the finish clean and dry. Caramelized orange and lemon, quince and apricot paste, candied lime flavours and more emerges from this exceptionally complex and complete example. Hard to imagine how a wine with 179 grams of residual sugar could seem so dry, savoury and spicy – it’s absolutely saliva-inducing and saline, driving additional sips and infinitely drinkable without any heaviness or pasty qualities – so few wines in the world can pull off this kind of balance. Really very exceptional wine, drinking beautifully now, though I suspect this is pretty much timeless; with this level of (positive) oxidation, it will very very slowly. I’d enjoy with a long dry-aged grilled ribeye for an unusual treat. Alcohol: 10.5%; Acidity 8.5 g/l. Tasted October 2024.
96 Orosz Gábor Winery Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2018
Pure furmint. Clean, intense, creamy and voluptuous, terrific length and depth, supreme balance. Acids sweep the back end, washing over an astounding 264 grams of sugar, and massive extract, over 42 grams/liter. A monument of the vintage. 2000 bottles made. 9.2% alc. Tasted April 2024.
95 Tokaj Kikelet Winery Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2016
2016 was a cooler, more ‘linear’ vintage, which is to say tight and firm, nicely wound, with this aszú produced from a base of furmint and Hárslevelű, with extraction of the aszú paste done in a fermenting milieu. Acids are gorgeous, cleaning up the back end, such a firm and succulent, zesty example, finishing almost dry. A remarkably lively and light 6 puttonyos all in all, fine and supremely well balanced. Tasted April 2024.
94 Royal Tokaji Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2017
2017 is a gorgeous, 5-star vintage, blending creamy acids and abundant residual sugar. The texture is lovely, voluptuous and creamy, with acids sweeping the long finish clean. Terrific balance. Drinking now, but cellarable comfortably into the ’40s no doubt. Tasted April 2024.
93 Tokaj-Hétszőlő Organic Vineyard Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos Bio 2017
Hétszölö produced the first certified organic aszú of the region, and the estate’s wines tend to wear a more oxidative guise across the board, also with minimal sulfites added. Another less common twist is that the aszú paste (botrytis-affected berries) is extracted in grape must, not fermenting or finished wine as many wineries do, all to gain in finesse (alcoholic milieus are more aggressively extractive than unfermented grape juice). Old wood flavours mingle with fruit mainly in the candied-caramelized citrus spectrum; acids are firm and brisk (8 grams TA), easily carrying the 131 grams of residual sugar. Very good to excellent length. Drink or hold into the early ’30s. Tasted April 2024.
93 Tokaj-Hétszőlő Organic Vineyard Tokaji Azsú 6 Puttonyos 2004
Maturing but not old, silky and beautifully balanced, elegant and refined, with lovely sharp-creamy acids, great length. Showing beautifully now but no rush. Tasted April 2024.
Szamorodni
93 Tokaj Kikelet Winery Tokaji Édes Szamorodni 2019
An intense style of szamorodni, with concentrated oxidative flavours, marmalade and other textbook classics. Great acids, great length. Drink or hold late into the ’30s. Tasted April 2024.
Kadarka
Once the most planted red grape in the Carpathian Basin, kadarka lost ground in the 20th century because of its erratic yields (read: low) and thin-skinned grapes that yielded pale, low tannin, light wines. Well, today, with better viticulture and winemaking knowledge, better plant material selection and the world’s newfound thirst for chillable, crushable reds, kadarka is back in the spotlight. It’s planted mainly in Szekszárd, with some in Eger and smatterings elsewhere.
91 Gilvesy Pixu Kadarka 2022 Badacsony
A lovely, lean, spicy, classic kadarka, clean, indeed much cleaner and fresher than one would expect from Gilvesy’s experimental range. Complexity may not be off the charts – it’s like pure cherry juice – but drinkability and pleasure are very high. Ready to enjoy or hold short term. Tasted April 2024.
91 Tüske Winery Harmados Kadarka Szekszárd 2022
Tüske’s ‘Harmado’s is made from 15 year-old kadarka vines planted on a windy plateau where disease pressure is lower. It pours a typically pale colour, though flavour intensity is high, featuring strawberries and cherries spiced up with cinnamon and paprika. The palate is delicate and fine, silky in texture, making for a hugely enjoyable light red, the kind to enjoy with a light chill, and which you could sip all day. Tasted April 2024.
91 Vida Péter, Szekszárd Petit Bonsai Clonal Selection Kadarka 2023
Made from massal selections of over century-old kadarka vines, which Vida bottles separately as the “Bonsai” kadarka, this younger vine version but with priceless genetic material pours a pale pinkish red in the varietal style (a thin-skinned grape), with lovely fresh, peppery red fruit and light floral tones, carnations and rock roses, aged exclusively in stainless steel. The palate is light silky, fresh and vibrant, a sheer delight to drink, sapid and savoury. Length is surprisingly good despite the light frame (12% alcohol). Lovely, spicy, peppery-fruity red for near term consumption with a light chill. Tasted twice in April and May 2024.
90 Sebestyén Kadarka 2022 Szekszárd
A pure Kadarka with typically pale colour, made from an old Szekszárd clone that’s been around for 60 years, as well as younger plantings of a new selection from the Pécs research institute. It’s aged only in stainless steel, with classic sour raspberry flavours, juicy, light, bright acids, low alcohol, low tannins, and good length overall. Chill and enjoy. Complexity is modest but pleasure is high. Tasted April 2024.
Kékfrankos
The most plated red variety in Hungary (also very important in Austria where it’s known as blaufränkisch), kékfrankos typically yields a marvellously vibrant and crunchy, black cherry-infused, peppery wine. It is best (in my view) with a minimum of oak influence (large, older casks work best), allowing the beguiling perfume to shine while tempering and polishing acids and tannins.
91 Hoop Wines Gereg Kékfrankos 2021 Mátra
The Hoop winery was established in 2019 in the Mátra Hills with an exclusive focus on kékfrankos. Production remains tiny for now; only 600 bottles were produced from 1.5 hectares in 2021. Gereg is a windy site, with low disease pressure, enabling low intervention viticulture and winemaking, here spontaneous fermentation and ageing in used barriques for 8 months before bottling unfined and unfiltered. I find the aromatics really pretty, fresh and floral, with pure, fresh black cherry fruit, gently spicy in the varietal style. The palate delivers great length and finesse, and ultimately great purity overall. An exciting new discovery, and a project to follow. Tasted April 2024.
90 Szeleshát Winery Kékfrankos Tábornok Szekszárd 2017
The winery’s name Szeleshát takes its name from the “windy plateau” where its vineyards are planted, where constant breezes from the hot dry air coming off the Great Plain mix with the cool air coming down from a hillside area. 2017 is the current vintage of Tábornok, the top Kékfrankos of the estate aged for 12 months in new Hungarian 225-liter oak barrels (The name means “General” and refers to the high ranking of the wine in the winery’s hierarchy). It has already shifted to a brownish colour on the rim, with oxidative notes on the nose, with a rich and sweet plate, highly concentrated, big and structured. Dried/raisined fruit flavours lead alongside the evident vestiges of the, new Hungarian oak ageing. A bold, ambitious, though unusual example all in all, not my personal preference in style – it’s a bit overdone – but it will surely have its supporters. Tasted April 2024.
90 Takler Wine Estate Szenta-Hegyi Kékfrankos 2020 Szekszárd
A single vineyard, south-southeast facing, on loess overlying clay. Aged in 2nd and 3rd filled tonneaux. Clean, soft and fruity, attractive, highly drinkable. Shorter macerations, less new wood, lighter and more drinkable than Takler wines of the past. Quite nice. Tasted April 2024.
90 Vida Péter Hidaspetre Single Vineyard Kékfrankos 2020 Szekszárd
From a hillside terraced single vineyard planted to various Hungarian clones of Kékfrankos, harvested a touch early to make a “joyful and elegant” style I’m told. Indeed it is a juicy, peppery, red-fruited wine very much in the Kékfrankos register, crunchy, with decent length. Tannins are firm and honest, raw, while length is good. Fine stuff overall. Aged 15 months in 300, 500 and 1200 litre used Hungarian barrels. Tasted April 2024.
89 Sauska Winery Kékfrankos 2020 Villány
Made from circa 20 year-old vines, this is a juicy, fresh, technically spot-on, lively cherry fruit-flavoured example of kékfrankos in the textbook style. Perfectly correct, crunchy, fun. Chill and drink now. Tasted April 2024.
88 Lajver Winery Kekfrankos 2021 Szekszárd
Lajvér’s ‘everyday’ kékfrankos, this is fruity, black cherry and plum, with a touch of Christmas spice, nutmeg and cinnamon. Tannins are a little raw and grippy, youthful, and still need a few months to settle. Fine and juicy in the end, clean, well-made, technically spot on and fine value – represents the more gentle style of a warmer climate and loess soils of Szekszárdi kékfrankos nicely. Tasted April 2024.
Villányi Franc
“Villányi Franc” is a registered trademark of the region of Villány in southern Hungary, reserved for wines made from pure cabernet franc. The grape has become Villány’s flagship variety over the past 20 years, well-suited as it is to the region’s warm, quasi-Mediterranean climate where it takes on more of a ripe, Right Bank Bordeaux style, also reminiscent of top examples from Napa and Sonoma, or the upper reaches of Mendoza, Argentina, for example. It comes in officially regulated Premium and Super Premium categories under Villány’s Protected Designation of Origin (under the DHC acronym in Hungarian) based on technical parameters such as permitted yields and length of ageing. Villíany Super Premium-designated wines are by law pure cabernet franc, aged at least 2 years before release.
Some producers remain overly-enthusiastic in extraction and use of oak, making for hard wines that mask the lovely perfume of the variety, though in this region, too, the movement is on towards more balance and finesse, as the best of these wines show.
94 Vylyan Mandulás Villányi Franc Super Premium 2020 Villány
A very serious wine here from Vylyan, a leading producer in the southern Hungarian region of Villány, aged in barrel, 60% new oak for 16 months, all Hungarian. It’s replete with dense, dark fruit flavours, mingling red and black berries effortlessly, with a light sheen of oak spice and an appealing stemmy-resinous herbal undercurrent to temper the fruit expression and drive complexity. Tannins are enveloped in plenty of extract, providing structure without angularity and acids are in balance. Excellent length, excellent wine. Beware the unnecessarily heavy bottle, however. Tasted April 2024.
93 Ipacs Szabó Villány Franc Premium 2020 Villány
Szabó is the former winemaker from well-respected Vylyan winery, striking out here on his own with his eponymous winery project. His version of Premium Villány Franc comes from 15 year-old vines (the second commercial release), aged for 17 months in wood. It offers an impressive, deep and rich nose with abundant dark fruit, and a sleek, polished palate, elegant but concentrated, with excellent length. This is quality wine here, dense and ageworthy into the ’30s. Tasted April 2024.
93 Sauska Winery Villány Franc Premium Makár 2016 Villány
A single-vineyard cabernet franc from the Makár parcel, located in the cooler Siklós sub-region of the Villány appellation, an area of higher elevation and regular airflow that preserves freshness. And this 2016 is ageing slowly to be sure, still firm and fresh 8 years in. The palate is sleek and polished, gently wood-inflected, ultra clean and polished, with abundant dark fruit mingling with the wood spice, framed by lovely, succulent acids. Well balanced with long finish; a terrific and polished wine. Tasted April 2024.
93 Bock Estate Bock Villányi Franc Essencia 2020 Villány
Bock’s 2020 ‘Essencia’ pours a medium-deep red-red, with a streak of garnet showing on the rim. The nose is very ripe and forward, polished, with notable, high quality oak influence (24 months in new barriques), with a modern, new world twist. Alcohol is generous at nearly 15%, while tannins are soft and acids are in balance. It’s dripping with black fruit, superripe, verging on blackberry-black cherry jam flavours and framed by sweet wood spice. Length is excellent. Give this another 2-3 years minimum, or hold into the mid-30s. Tasted April 2024.
92 Riczu Villány Franc Premium 2019 Villány
From organically certified 25 year-old wines, Riczu’s 2019 Villány Franc Premium is a sumptuous, ripe, deeply-flavoured wine, with lots of wood spice, bold and ambitious in style but balanced, with long, palate-warming finish. Genuine wine, drinking beautifully at the moment. Tasted April 2024.
91 Ruppert Villány Franc Premium 2019 Villány
Maturing gently, with notable spicy character, also wood influence, but not exaggerated. Lovely, succulent palate, sleek tannins, firm and fresh. Great length. Solid example, best from 2026. 14.5%. Tasted April 2024.
91 Cega Pincészet Villány Franc Premium 2017 Villány
From the cooler district of Siklós within Villány, Cega’s Premium Franc is still tightly wound, with abundant, sweet fruit from this warm vintage, but also with a gentle undertow of green and herbal character that reflects the variety nicely. Tannins are still firm and fine-grained, abundant, making this a dense and concentrated offering. Oak-derived coffee bean and other flavours likewise need another 2-3 years for integration. Tasted April 2024.
90 Sauska Winery Cabernet Franc 2019 Villány
Clean, polished, well made, with dark fruit and peppery spice I the varietal mould, as well as integrated oak. Good length. Solid wine. Tasted April 2024.
Bikavér and Red Blends
Red blends can of course come from any region in Hungary, but only the regions of Eger and Szekszárd are permitted to produce Bikavér, or “Bull’s Blood”. Bikavér at its core is a Kékfrankos-led red blend, with the balance usually made up by the Bordeaux varieties or syrah, and other local red grapes.
Szekszárdi Bikavér specifies a minimum of three varieties with at least 45% kékfrankos and 5% kadarka, and comes in regular and Premium versions, the latter with at least 12 months in wood and 12 months in bottle.
Egri Bikavér requires at least 4 varieties, of which at least 30% Kékfrankos, and comes in three tiers, from Classicus, Superior and Grand Superior with decreasing yields and increasing ageing time. The latter two must also be bottled in the unique “1552” regional bottle, while Grand Superior must come from one of Eger’s recognized single vineyards.
The warmer climate and loess soils of Szekszárd favour more supple and smooth examples, while cooler Eger with its predominantly volcanic soils favours leaner, spicier wines, though, like everything in Hungary, it’s personal.
94 Takler Wine Estate Szekszaárd Grand 2017 Szekszárd
A big, ripe, bold, ambitious wine in the Takler house style, with dense, succulent black fruit and big, palate-warming alcohol, 15% declared. Great length and depth and good underlying acidity. Ageing potential is high; it should last another 10-15 years without concern. Built to impress, and it does. 25% each of kékfrankos and cabernet sauvignon, 20% each syrah and cabernet franc, and 10% merlot. Tasted April 2024.
92 Eszterbauer Winery Báró Steiner Bikavér 2020 Szekszárd
Lots of firm, chalky tannins frame bright red and black fruit; acids are likewise vibrant. Tightly wound and youthful, with wood impact noted, 2-3 years away from prime. Premium Bikavér. Kékfrankos 50%, Merlot 25%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%, Kadarka 5%, Cabernet Franc 5%. Tasted April 2024.
92 Jackfall Winery Grand 2018 Villány
A big, dense, rich, ripe, heavily extracted and oaky red from Villány, old school I would say, but certainly impressive in that category. Loads of black and blue fruit wash across the palate, contained by plush, slippery tannins. In the end one can’t help but be impressive by the sheer audacious and gregarious nature of the wine, not a demure, retiring flower. The blend is cabernet franc-lead, with 30% syrah, and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Drink or hold until the end of the decade. Tasted April 2024.
91 Sebestyén Iván Bikavér 2019 Szekszárd
Sebestyén’s ‘Iván’ Bull’s Blood is composed of 2/3rds kékfrankos and old vine kadarka (up to 60 years), with merlot and cabernet, from the loess-rich vineyard of the same name. The 2019 is an open and very spicy wine – the kadarka really drives the blend – with distinctive herbal-vegetal notes, pleasant in the style of cabernet franc, indeed similar in style to Loire examples. Tannins are light and acids ripe-balanced. A ready to go, earlier maturing example reflecting the expression these light, wind-blown soils. Tasted April 2024.
91 Tüske Winery Bikavér 2019 Szekszárd
A blend of 50% kékfrankos, 5% kadarka, and the balance in Bordeaux varieties, Tüske’s Bikavér delivers a lovely nose, perfumed and pretty, with low wood impact. Tannins are still youthful and grippy on the palate, sticking around for the long finish. Although I have a light personal preference for the pure kékfrankos from Tüske, this more sturdy wine will have legions of its own fans. Drink now-2029. Tasted April 2024.
91 Vida Péter Bikavér Völgyeiböl 2020 Szekszárd
“From the Valleys of Szekszárd”, Vida’s Bikavér is a lovely, fruity-spicy example, with light tannins on a mid-weight frame. It’s a charming, modern wine, in the sense of balance and liveliness, with high drinkability. Aged in 1000-1500 litre foudres, with a small percentage of 300l barrels, to give a “gentle hug” of oak. Quality, balanced wine; drink or hold 3-4 years. Tasted April 2024.
90 Kovács Nimród Winery Jazz Superior Bikavér 2018 Eger
Kovács’s ‘Jazz’ Bikavér is produced from all Noszvaj fruit, a largely volcanic zone on the east side of the Eger appellation and town of the same name. The 2018 is open and spicy in the volcanic style – I find these wines always open earlier than the ones from the limestones of the Nagy Eged hill. But the palate is plush and fruity, supported by grippy tannins on the finish.. Still needs another 2-3 years, but no need for long term ageing. Blend: 49% Kékfrankos, 19% Pinot Noir, 11% Syrah, 11% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Tasted April 2024.
90 St. Andrea Vineyard Merengő 2021 Eger
St. Andrea’s flagship Bikavér, there’s a bit of the Eger cellar character here, a slight mustiness, though the palate offers pleasantly chewy, chalky tannins and good length alongside vibrant red and black fruit. Wood influence is still noted; cellar another 2-3 years before revisiting. Tasted April 2024.
90 Szeleshát Winery Bikavér 2019 Szekszárd
kékfrankos 45%, cabernet franc 20%, cabernet sauvignon 20%, merlot 10%, kadarka 5%. Modest intensity, clean, moderate fruit intensity, with fine spiciness, red pepper, paprika and similar. The palate is nicely polished; I like the juiciness, and the sleek mouthfeel. Palate is slightly warming. Aged in large 4000l foudres for 12 months. Tasted April 2024.
That’s all for this special report, see round the next bottle.
John Szabo, MS