Like much of Eastern Europe, Hungary is still rebuilding its wine industry after it was nationalized under communism, and we’re always impressed by the yeoman’s work being done by our contact who has spent months on end exploring this re-emergent terroir for top talent.  

One of those great terroirs is Somló, which (1) holds a viticultural history dating to Roman times and (2) enjoyed a serious international reputation leading up to the Second World War. In 2001, Zoltán Balogh and some partners re-acquired vineyards once owned by a Benedictine Monastery and established Apátsági; Balogh farms three hectares of vines organically and cultivates all the classic grapes of the region, including Furmint, Juhfark, and Hárslevelü.

Located in western Hungary, Somló is the country’s smallest appellation (PDO), consisting of a lone volcanic basalt monolith decorated with the crumbling remains of a 13th-century castle on top. Although today’s 2019 Juhfark bottling carries the Nagy-Somló designation—a broader appellation that encompasses Somló plus two other volcanic hills—the raw material comes entirely from Apátsági's three southeast-facing hectares on Somló. Grapes for this wine were harvested at extreme levels of ripeness, while retaining their naturally high acidity, and fermented on native yeasts in Hungarian barrels of various sizes. After one year of aging, it was bottled unfiltered with a minimal addition of sulfur. 

This wine is stupendous, unique, an utter chameleon in the glass. It carries five grams of residual sugar (leftover from fermentation) but not a single soul would dare call this “sweet.” The intense ripeness and acidity here is mesmerizing and with each passing hour, the full-bodied flavors bounced from tropical to stone to orchard fruits, all while thrumming with stony volcanic minerality. It’s powerful, mind-blowing stuff that truly has no analog in taste. Plus, it’ll age for 5-10+ years…perhaps more? Enjoy in Burgundy or all-purpose stems around 50-55 degrees.