Aug 31 2016
Badacsony in the eye of the beholder
My favourite book on the Balaton and its surroundings remains Eötvös Károly: Utazás a Balaton körül (Travel around the Balaton). It puts you really in the mood how the region once was, how everything started, history, culture, wine and a lot more. More than a decade passed since Eötvös travelled and wrote his stories. A lot changed and there is small revolution going on when it comes to the wines as well. Yet the romantic notion has never faded from the region.
Current tasting notes of some of the finest wines of the Badacsony.
Source: FÖMI
Tasted 6/4/2016
Szatmári, Vulcanus 2011
Lemon colour, fresh spice and some oily notes. Bold fruit with bright acidity, ripe and crisp. Good nerve on the mid palate and fair weight, touch of earthy, wet stone finish.
Drink now – 2019
Nyári, Cserszegi füszeres 2015
Pale lemon colour. Floral perfume, fresh and zesty bright notes. Fine kick with the perfume and floral, white pepper combo. Dry, crisp and refreshing finish.
Drink now – 2018
Nyári, Hárslevelü 2015
Honey scented nose incredibly rich, fabulous very intense and rich style. Bold and lively with fairly good power on the palate.
Drink now – 2022
Borbély, Bácshegy Olaszrizling 2013
Pale lemon colour with nutty almond and hint of petrol on the nose. Dry with a bright fruit to start off, mid palate shares some marzipan, floral and petrol tone once again. Aged in 2000 L oak, smooth finish.
Drink now – 2018
Villa Sandahl, Rajnai Rizling SOS 2014
Pale lemon colour. Floral and some herbal notes, showing good depth despite the challenging vintage. Crisp and vibrant on the palate, good balance between the freshness and drier style. Some citrus and exotic fruit to finish, round and elegant with good finish.
Drink now – 2020
Villa Sandahl, Magic Rain 2011
Also Riesling, still showing freshness with some petrol and zesty citrus, lime, grapefruit trio. Intense vibrant palate feel, brisk, citrus and lime with a zesty linear style yet very vibrant as well. Great freshness with zesty fruit style.
Drink now – 2021
Villa Tolnay, Rajnai Rizling 2014
Floral and peach, apricot trio on the nose. Fine perfume, ripe juicy palate, full flavour notes. Long vibrant finish with good depth and some apricot zesty, mineral note. Elegant linear style with some depth.
Drink now – 2020
Villa Tolnay, Kéknyelü 2013
Spice and citrus, lime very bright notes on the nose. Certainly not neutral in style. Zesty, bright fresh citrus. Somewhat modern style and warm fruit on the mid palate. Hint of coriander, basil leaf, sweet spice on the finish.
Drink now – 2023
2HA, Szölöbirtok Tabunello 2013
Made of Sangiovese from the Szent György mountain. Medium deep ruby colour. Floral, spice with some black pepper and black cherry as well.
Full bodied yet still very elegant, good fruit intensity with velvet smooth tannins. Long focused finish.
Drink now – 2023
Edegger, Premier 2013
Blend of Olaszrizling, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc fermented in stainless steel. Floral, bright fruit of stone fruit, apricot and some lime notes. Spice and juicy notes. Elegant touch of marzipan with zesty firestone in the back.
Drink now – 2018
Bencze Family Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Medium ruby colour with clean bright fruit. Herbaceous and some cool pencil shaving, bell pepper notes. Fresh and moderately tannic on the palate.
Drink now
Fischer, Pinot Blanc 2015
Pale lemon colour. Neutral on the nose showing some stone fruit. Dry crisp and very juicy on the palate. Elegant ripe fruit with smooth finish.
Drink now – 2018
Fischer, Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Grassy very aromatic on the nose. Lychee, gooseberry, attractive and promising indeed with the intensity and depth. The palate seems to follow this lime, lychee, citrus and grassy notes with a twist of lime on the top, very refreshing.
Drink now – 2018
Szászi, Olaszrizling 2015
Fruity and bright nose full of zesty lime and citrus with a dash of coriander and caraway seed hint of exoticness but otherwise quite typical of the variety excelling some almonds and nuttiness in the back.
Drink now – 2018
Szászi, Kéknyelü 2015
Rather unusual for the variety showing fairly aromatic in style. Floral, tangerine fresh pear. Clean and crisp on the palate with some flinty notes. Fresh and good depth on the finish.
Drink now – 2020
Bakó Ambrus, Teraszok Olaszrizling 2012
From terraces of the Badacsony mountain. Lemon zesty with dash of almond some nutty seasoned nose. Juicy crisp on the palate showing similar notes as from the nose, almond, nutty, marzipan with juicy spicy finish.
Drink now – 2018
Skizobor, Kéknyelü 2013
Floral, medicinal note, floral, fire stone. Hint of bitter edge in combination with juicy grapefruit on the palate. Touch of tangerine and blood orange. Crisp finish.
Drink now – 2018
Laposa Birtok, Rizling2, 2014
Floral and leesy herbal note with some fresh bacon fat. Juicy palate with some neutral wood, lime and lime sorbet, fresh finish.
Drink now
Csendes Dülö Szölöbirtok, Hárslevelü 2013
Pale lemon colour. Floral and bright fairly intense nose, full of lime tree, citrus. Very fresh, crisp with a salty touch. Juicy long finish a true delight.
Drink now – 2020
Csendes Dülö Szölöbirtok, Olaszrizling 2014
Floral and acacia note. Zesty, grapefruit hint of almond with a slight waxy note, white chalky touch.
Drink now
Folly Arborétum and Winery, Boróka 2015
Usually a blend of olaszrizling, szürkebarát (pinot gris), muscat ottonel. Clean and bright notes, fresh on the nose. Juicy, peach blossom, pear, greengage and some floral tone as well. Hint of saltiness but bold finish.
Drink now – 2019
Elsö Magyar Borház, Szeremley Birtok, Budai Zöld 2015
Leesy floral notes. Full of green apple, citrus notes. Crisp white wine with the necessary depth but it´s more about dynamics. Zesty citrus like finish with a touch white pepper and salty twist.
Drink now – 2020
Elsö Magyar Borház, Szeremley Birtok, Rosé 2015
Blend of Pinot noir, Kékfrankos and Cabfranc if I recall. Floral, red fruit on the nose. Quite elegant mouthfeel refreshing but also delightful, vibrant with lovely fruitiness.
Drink now