2008 ~ No. 7    

EXPLORING HUNGARIAN WINE

You may think me daft for recommending Hungarian wine – dry-style, not Tokai. (I know, who even realized they made anything but the lusciously sinful dessert wine?)

So snicker if you will, but at a recent tasting, it was impossible to pass up the opportunity to try the wines from Pannonhalma Archabbey, which were making their American debut.

Sabina Magyar guided me through the tasting and later answered my questions. She works for Michael Skurnik Wines and, as an American-born Hungarian who lived there for several years in the late 1990s, brought Pannonhalma Archabbey’s wines to their attention.

“These wines just really fit my profile,” she says of their taste and style. “These are quality wines that are well-priced.”

Pannonhalma Archabbey, she tells me, was founded in 996 by Benedictine Monks. They lost their vineyards in the Communist revolution but were able to reacquire them in late 2000. In seemingly very un-monklike style, they developed a business plan and sought outside investors to help replant the vineyards and modernize their winery.

Tibor Gal, the renowned Hungarian winemaker who brought Ornellaia back from the brink in the early 1990s, was brought on board to lead the charge. Vineyards were replanted and a three-tier, gravity-flow winery was built.

The primary grapes grown here are Rizling (Riesling), Sauvignon Blanc and Tramini, the local name for Gewurztraminer. These grapes thrive in the soil, which is similar to Alsace and the upper Loire Valley, and continental climate. Pinot Noir as well as several native varietals also are planted, with the latter produced mostly for local consumption.

Ms. Magyar notes that, as with many Hungarian producers, Pannonhalma Archabbey crafts their wine in traditional ways, including hand-working the vineyards, gentle handling of the grapes and the use of local wood for casks. Production is small – about 10,000 cases total, some 300 of which made it to the US this year.

The wines are all delicious, showing their natural character but with subtle differences that are purely Hungarian. If any of these sound yummy to you, it’s worth scooping some up.

My tasting notes are below, with estimated retail pricing and (ratings.)

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Rose 2007
A Merlot-Pinot Noir blend, this wine was juicy and refreshing with light notes of strawberry. $13.50 (C1)

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Rizling 2006
Really light with a rounded texture. This wine tasted like a soap bubble - not soapy, but sort of light and cottony with maybe a hint of lavender. (I’m spitting the wine, I swear!) There were classic petrol notes on the finish. $17 (C1)

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Sauvignon Blanc 2007
This wine didn’t hit me as Sauvignon right away – it’s much too subtle for that, though the flavors are unmistakably there. Smooth, restrained and delicious. $17 (B2)

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Tramini 2007
Very classic flavor profile with spice and orange notes. Excellent for sipping. $15 (B1)

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Pinot Noir 2006
Very light and a touch Burgundian with lots of earth and mineral notes and savory cherry cola flavors. $22.50 (B1)

Prices are estimated retail. Ratings measure the quality of the wine, from a sublime, transcendent “A” to a drink at your own peril “F”. The number suggests the wine’s value – 1 is best QPR, 3 is, well, you get what you pay for.

WINE TALK: STAGLIN FAMILY VINEYARD

It’s the details that make a wine great. Like knowing when to pick the grapes – the task Garen Staglin, owner of Staglin Family Vineyard, considers the most difficult part of his job. “You can’t put it back,” he said, referring to a grape picked too soon. Getting each at its optimal ripeness gives the jammy flavors he wants in his wine. And to make sure each is picked at the precise moment, workers go through the vineyards 60 – 60! – times.

Once picked, the fruit is carefully transported to the winery so none is crushed along the way. Then they are meticulously sorted (photo) to remove all the dirt, foreign materials and other debris, ensuring a purity of the grapes that helps make a more powerful wine. Not a lot of wineries in the world sort their grapes that carefully, Mr. Staglin observes with great understatement.

Equally complex, he says, is the art of blending, which requires significant skill and finesse. In the decision making process, Mr. Staglin explains, one is tempted to pick the standout wines with the most power, but that would be like an orchestra that is “all trombone and tuba. How do you balance the flute notes, getting the right combination of highs and lows?”

With the help of international consultant Michel Rolland, the team at Staglin tastes through 60 barrels of wine, identifying the special qualities of each lot and coming up with the combination that offers the desired range of flavors and finesse.

Of course, it also helps when you start with an excellent site. The vineyard, which Mr. Staglin purchased in 1985, was planted in the 1960s by legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff and was his favorite source of Cabernet grapes for the famed BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

In 1987, when the vinyeard needed replanting due to the looming phylloxera plague, Tchelistcheff assisted with the process. All the Chardonnay vines needed to be pulled and replanted, allowing them to try a unique strategy to foil the louse, which kills vines by attacking the roots.

Five different phylloxera-resistant rootstocks were identified and paired with cuttings of Chardonnay vines from the best sites in the world, including Le Montrachet. Each rootstock/vine combination was planted in 1-2 acre blocks, with no same blocks next to each other. In this way, there was no concentration of vines – and no way for phylloxera to gain traction in the vineyard.

It was such a success, the same technique was then used to replant the Cabernet vines. The result of these varying blocks, Mr. Staglin notes, is a wine with a very diverse flavor profile and amazing complexity.

In addition to their Staglin Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, they also produce Sangiovese under the Stagliano label (the original family name) and Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay under the Salus Estate label.

The latter two wines are particularly special to the family, as proceeds from their sale support The Music Festival for Mental Health, which was founded by Mr. Staglin and his wife Shari (photo) in 1995. The event raises money for brain research aimed at curing mental health, with a tally of over $60 million so far.

“We are delighted that we can turn our wines into good deeds,” says Mr. Staglin. In addition to the music festival, they donate bottles of wine to auctions and other events, helping raise more than $667 million for charity since the winery was founded in 1985.

Good wines for good causes – not just their motto, but their way of life.

THE FANTASY CELLAR

AFFORDABLE BORDEAUX

Okay, so even as a “lesser” growth, Cos d’Estournel is still $200 and up a bottle. The good thing about 2005 being such a great vintage is, even the “lesser lesser” wines are most likely to be pretty darn good.

Luckily for those looking to keep their spending under three figures, John Mariani offers several under $100 options for Bordeaux that can be enjoyed now in this Bloomberg story.

I’ll drink to that!