For most of Europe’s winemaking and wine drinking history, the Tokaj region of Hungary has produced some of the most prized (and expensive) wines on the continent. Kings, Queens, and Popes all hoarded them, but in the 20th Century, the Soviet era helped push these wines into obscurity. But in the last 15-20 years things have been changing for the better, especially since winemakers like Atilla Homonna are bringing hard work and gobs of talent to their homeland, and (crucially) focusing on bone-dry, terroir transparent wines. Since 1999 Atilla has been farming his 3.5 hectares of vineyards entirely by hand, and entirely free of chemicals, and highlighting the world-class quality of the local grapes Furmint and Hárslevelű. Today’s mineral rich, volcanic masterpiece is the perfect (re)introduction to these wonderful wines. Ladies and gentlemen, Tokaj is roaring back to life!
The Tokaj region sits on the northeastern corner of Hungary, a small section of it spilling over the border into Slovakia (this region predates the post-WWI borders by many centuries). It’s an ancient wine producing land, with vineyards that are situated on a high plateau, around 1500 feet above sea level, and bordered by the Bodrog River to the southeast and the Zemplén Mountains to the northwest. The mighty Carpathian mountains are just to the east, providing a unique microclimate as well as porous, volcanic soils. This special terroir made it possible for the grapes to hang on the vines for an extended period of time, and in most vintages they would develop botrytis, aka “noble rot,” which has the dual benefit of concentrating sugars and flavors, and adding a distinct and highly coveted kick of umami. As such these late harvest dessert wines were among the most prized, and highly priced, wines for most of the medieval and renaissance periods, and they continued to be the preference of the European nobility right up until WWI began.
The devastation of war, and the post-war Soviet era pushed Tokaj into dire times. Some beautiful old vines were replaced with younger, higher yielding plants and prices on Tokaj never fully recovered. But all hope was not lost: In 1999 Atilla Homonna was part of the first wave of aspiring growers and winemakers, leaving a comfy office job and returning to his home region of Tokaj following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The newfound freedom to produce high-quality wines (as opposed to that industrial plonk for the broader USSR) inspired Atilla to rethink the potential for this ancient region, including organic farming and making complex, bone-dry, volcanic forward wines.
For today’s flagship cuvée, Attila uses only organically farmed, hand-harvested Furmint and Hárslevelű bunches, from his own 40-80 year old vines. All the buncheds are destemmed, gently crushed and pressed with an old-fashioned basket press. Fermentation with native yeasts occurs in 225 and 500-liter used oak barrels, and the wine then ages in those same barrels on the fine lees for eight to eleven months before bottling. This is pure, old-school winemaking without any tricks or additions.
Attila is a master at transferring the unique, volcanic terroir of this region directly into the bottle. I would treat this bottle like a Premier Cru Chablis or any other world class, medium bodied, dry white wine that has minerality in droves. Serve it cool, not cold, in a nice Burgundy stem and after just a bit of oxygen a rush of aromatics will leap from the glass: Yellow apple, nectarine, white flowers, lavender honey, beeswax, lemon curd, and a whiff of smoke are all supported by a textured, medium-bodied palate that has a very long, mineral-laden finish and a backbone of bright acidity. It makes a wonderful pairing with richer dishes like sausages and stews, but would also pair well with fatty fish, lobster, or even omakase. If you haven’t dipped your toe into Tokaj in a while (or ever) this is the perfect introduction to both the storied past and the future potential of this region.
