When most wine lovers think of the Furmint grape, if they think of it at all, it’s the sweet, botrytised nectars of Hungary’s historic Tokaji region that jump to mind. Tokaji is probably the only Hungarian wine and region most American consumers know of, which is a shame: this is one of the world’s ancient wine cultures, with 22 officially delimited wine zones and a trove of native varieties like Furmint to work with.
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 the importer Blue Danube to find an audience for these wines. Today’s dry and delicious Furmint, from the tiny region of Somló in western Hungary, is the first dry Furmint we’ve offered but hardly the first one I’ve tasted—just one of the very best. It is a game changer: Lots of dry Furmint is dominated by high acidity—acidity which makes the variety so successful and ageworthy as a late-harvest sweet wine—but this one has serious depth, rich texture, and soil character reminiscent of top Alsatian whites. There’s profound minerality from Somló’s basalt-rich volcanic soils and lots of aromatic complexity. It grabbed our attention, and it deserves yours; Somló and Apátsági may be unfamiliar names now, but wines like this are going to change that.
It certainly doesn’t lack for a compelling backstory: Somló has a viticultural history dating to Roman times and its wines had a serious international reputation. After the second World War, vineyards were appropriated by the state and redistributed under communism. 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.
The Somló appellation is Hungary’s smallest and consists of a lone volcanic hill that rises abruptly near Hungary’s border with Austria. The soils are rich in basalt and vineyards sit at altitudes between 220 and 260 meters, with expositions to the southeast. By dry Furmint standards, Balogh harvests his grapes late to develop serious concentration, which balances the variety’s high natural acidity; whereas most dry Furmints we taste are dominated by this acidity, Apátsági’s 2015 delivers rich texture and electrifying freshness simultaneously.
In the glass, the wine is straw gold with silver and green reflections at the rim. If you’ve ever tasted sweet Tokaji wines you’ll recognize a few aromas here: notes of juicy apricot and peach laced with hints of lavender, warm spices, and wet stones. Medium-plus bodied and deeply mineral on the palate, it combines a kind of sylvan, exotic, Alsatian-feeling aromatic profile with the salinity of a top-tier Spanish Albariño. It is seriously good white with short-term aging potential, if you’re so inclined, but I see no reason to wait: Pull the cork about a half hour before serving in all-purpose white wine stems at 50 degrees. We’ve recommended the attached recipe for chicken
paprikash before, but this wine is an even better fit for it. Enjoy!
