I quite like what the Bock crew brings out from Hungary’s native kadarka grape. With just a touch of oak this fragile variety becomes a bit more serious, yet does not lose its charm – being light and so drinkable.
villány
Unicorn Hungarian white – Bakonyi Hárslevelű 2013
Unless you visit a specialist local shop in the region, I bet you won’t easily find a hárslevelű from Villány anywhere, even if you leave in Budapest. But in the old days it was commonly planted in the region. And just look at this 12 year-old example (it was lurking in the corner of my wine fridge), there is potential for the variety for sure.
Supermarket wines: two reds from Bock
Bock is one the most well-known names in Hungary, one that even not wine drinking people are familiar with. Big, expensive reds made them famous three decades ago, when Hungarian wine started basically from scratch (after the Communist rule, which ended in 1989), but they make lots of cheap(ish) wine for supermarkets.
Nouveau time – Bock Portagéza 2023
The best Hungarian nouveau wine I believe I’ve ever tasted. Not by miles and it’s a tiny competition, yet it’s still a real achievement.
Fun Villány red: Kiss Gábor Rouge 364 2022
Kiss Gábor is a well-known Villány producer, but he operates on a lesser scale then big names like Gere or Bock. What I tasted from him in the past did not make me a fan, but his 2022 reds are a completely different story. I liked his cabernet franc quite a lot so I bought a bottle of his entry level Rouge 364, and it’s actually almost as good its pricier brother.Villány rose: Vylyan Kakas 2022
That’s exactly how most Hungarian roses taste like. Continue reading
Four cabernet franc from Hungary
From the Bordeaux varieties it’s cabernet franc which is the most accepted and famous in Hungary. And not just because Villány declared it as its main variety, although no other region focuses on it to this extent. I tried four recently, and I was really happy with only one of them, the Kiss Gábor; the others are not entirely convincing and some are also overpriced.Vylyan Macska Portugieser 2022, Villány, Hungary
Great merlot from Hungary: Gere Solus 2006 from Villány
High end merlot was a thing in Hungary two decades ago, inspired by the great supertuscan examples if I’m not mistaken. Expensive big, beefy reds arenow mostly out of favor here as well, but that’s a different story. The Gere Solus was (and still is) one, if not the most coveted example of this style. And well, it’s amazing as a 16 year old wine.
Nouveau time: Vylyan Bogyólé 2020
The most well-known Hungarian nouveau style red. I cannot remember a poor release, and the 2022 again delivers.