Mužsla is the name of a cluster of hills in Southern Slovakia, near the Danube River. If it were in France or Germany, and you took the measure of Mužsla’s terroir—soil, climate, etc.—you wouldn’t be at all surprised that it produces world-class white wine. Never mind that elite winemaking in this part of the world likely predates that of most “classic” European wine regions—Slovakia only emerged from behind the Iron Curtain in 1993, so their wine culture has had a lot of catching up to do.
The phrase that best describes wine nations like Slovakia is “The New Old World,” and in this case, we get stylistic nods to Alsace, Austria, and Northeast Italy in this fascinating white blend from Bott Frigyes. Combining 50% Riesling with 25% each Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc, “Mužsla” is crafted from biodynamically farmed fruit and vinified in the most “natural” manner, resulting in a white that is at once fashionable and deeply traditional. It is crystalline and fresh, richly textured, and aromatically complex, a kind of “greatest hits” compilation of iconic European whites. We’ve followed Bott Frigyes for many years now, and the wines keep getting better and better. For a wine that’s only in its second vintage, “Mužsla” is a revelation.
The Južnoslovenská (“southern Slovak”) growing zone, home of Bott Frigyes, runs up to the southern border of Slovakia, following a stretch of the Danube River just before it turns south towards Budapest. Bott Frigyes and his son, Frici, farm about 10 hectares of vineyards on the southern slopes of the Mužsla Hills, where the Danube, Garam, and Ipoly Rivers converge. The soils here are a mix of clay with some limestone over a volcanic basalt base, with modest elevations of about 250 meters. From his home base in the Danube-adjacent village of Nová Stráž, Frigyes has been active in promoting the surrounding wine country, known as Garam-Mente, as an international destination for gastro-tourism. There is a Garam-Mente trademark, which is attached (like DOP designations elsewhere) not just to wines but also other local food products such as pumpkin seed oil.
The Frigyes family vineyards are populated with the traditional varieties of the region, most of which are most readily associated with neighboring Hungary: Furmint, Hárslevelu, Juhfark, Kékfrankos, and Kadarka. This is not surprising, given that much of what is now Slovakia was once part of Hungary (and that the Frigyes family is ethnically Hungarian, like most of their neighbors). Among the “international” varieties, their largest plantings are of Riesling and Pinot Noir.
For this blend, Frigyes employs what he calls the “hamburger” method: three layers of foot-trodden whole clusters and then hand de-stemmed berries are fermented over the course of six days on native yeasts in open-topped vats. Given that it is skin-macerated and fermented in an open vessel, you might expect the wine to be oxidative and “orange,” but it is not: its aromas are fresh and full of ripe primary fruit notes, while the color is a pale straw-gold with slight copper highlights. Depending on the sip, you’ll find kindred qualities to Alsatian whites and to some of the white blends of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region: the wine has a slightly viscous texture and some aromas verging on the tropical, without going overboard on either. It has the kind of texture/acid balance found in dry spätlese wines from Germany, with aromas/flavors of kumquat, quince, lime blossoms, salt-preserved lemon, and yellow apple. Medium-plus in body and ready to drink now, serve this rare beauty at 45 degrees in all-purpose stems with something like choucroute garnie or the Hungarian specialty, chicken paprikash. It would also make a great companion for Chinese or Thai takeout on those nights when your kitchen is closed. Enjoy!
