I must mention that Itt és Most Pince‘s owner is a fellow winemaker in the same village where I also make my wine – I’m a bit hesitant to write about his wines, but this is such an important one. To my knowledge it’s only József Szentesi who has been making wine from tihanyi kék, an almost extinct Hungarian red grape. Until 2021, when Itt és Most Pince made their first harvest from their new plantings…

A mere 110 bottles made, available only at the cellar door. It’s not a flawless wine, as it’s often the case for mikro batches, but still an exciting one. The color already shows signs of age with it’s brownish hue, but the wine jumps out of the glass and clearly shows the tihanyi kék typicity: tons of spices with pink peppercorn leading the way. Red fruited and a bit aromatic, so exotic. Lovely texture, it’s like a playful nebbiolo; lighter on attack then creamy and tight as the palate builds. Tannins are corse and drying in the aftertaste, not well managed, although it’s a minor issue. A bit raw and unpolished, kind of a beta version, but so interesting and individual! 87 points.