Continuation from May 5th Post …
My second stop was at Alana Tokaj. From 2 to 5pm I met with Attila Németh, winemaker and co-owner of the winery along with his brother András, who’s a Radiologist working in the US. Alana is located in the town of Mad, and is the newest winery in Tokaj-Hegyalja. In fact the winery and visitor center, whose building dates back to 1730, was previously torn down and is currently under reconstruction. In 2005 the Németh family purchased 21 hectares in the Mad Basin sub-region, predominantly within the vineyards of Király, Betsek (first growth), and Veres. Dating back to 2000, the family also owns 9 hectares of vineyards and produces wine out of the Matra region, which is a lesser known region in between Tokaj and Budapest. Referring back to Attila’s Tokaj winery, Alana Tokaj manages 9 hectares of Furmint, 6 hectares of Hárslevelű, 3.5 hectares of Zeta, and 2.5 hectares of Yellow Muscat.
Attila’s entry into wine was pretty straight forward. After obtaining a degree in agricultural engineering, Attila worked as a farmer in California. He began his wine making career in Sonoma County where he worked for two wineries, including Dry Creek Vineyards. Attila’s dream was to one day own his own vineyard and produce his own wine. He understood that the chances of this dream being realized in the US were very limited and much more costly. So Attila moved back to Hungary and in 1998 he obtained a horticulture degree. And well the rest is history.
Attila and I had a lengthy discussion about his winemaking philosophy and plans for the future. Attila’s current business plan is to focus Alana’s sales in the United States. In fact Attila doesn’t see any current market potential in Hungary, due to the declining economy, and the higher prices that Alana wine is demanding. Just this year Alana released its first three bottlings, selling 700 bottles to an importer in Utah, United States – 2005 Muscat Betsek, 2006 Furmint, and 2006 “Autumn in Tokaj” Cuvée, all late harvest wines. The winery already gained some international attention with its Muscat Betsek, receiving a score of 94 from Austrian wine critic, Peter Moser. Alana produced 50 liters of eszencia in 2005 and 230 liters in 2008. Both will ferment for five to six years before bottling, and Attila projects the alcohol will reach a level between 2 and 3 percent.
Attila’s passion and dedication are quite evident. He certainly appears to be one of the rising stars of Tokaj. Based on conversations I had with other local vintners, he’s already gained great respect from his peers. Attila believes that there are still many questions regarding the quality of Tokaji wines and a lot of experimenting is still being done. He’s convinced that Tokaji’s true potential has not yet been reached and that quality will only continue to improve year by year. It’s clear that he’s deeply invested in his wines and is focused on quality, not production levels. I asked Attila about the 2008 vintage. He mentioned that 2 weeks were lost due to the cold and rain, in the key months of September and October. Then there was a long dry season up through November. In the end the grapes did not reach full ripeness and the acids were not too pronounced. No aszú wines were produced. Attila believes that the producers who picked late may make some good late harvest wines; however, he’s worried about the dry wines, since the acid was too high, and wasn’t refined. Attila, similar to the representative at Disznókő, was also optimistic about the progress of the 2009 vintage. April was warm and dry, which helped the vine growth, since there was a lot of rain during the winter months.
After the tasting, Attila invited me to a late lunch at Sárga Borház Etterem, a very comforting and picturesque restaurant, located on the Disznókő estate. I had Tejfölö Vadamalac Leves, which is a very hearty soup of wild boar, carrots and sour cream. It was delicious!
Prior to the lunch here’s what we tasted …
2006 Dry Furmint
Vinification: 2 year barrel ageing, residual sugars 8 g/l, acidity 9.5 g/l, 13.5% ABV
Tasting Notes: Summery nose with violets, minerality, and mild spice. Acidity, very silky texture. Tropical flavors, green apple, orange, minerality. Still needs time to develop. 960 bottles produced.
Rating: 14/20
Price: $28 / .5L in US market
2005 Dry Hárslevelű
Vinification: 2 years barrel ageing, residual sugars 7.8 g/l, acidity 6.5 g/l, 13.5% ABV
Tasting Notes: Banana, ripe fruit aromas. Smooth texture, nice bite, full-bodied, dry yet sweeter than the Furmint. More fruity with floral and apple flavors. 9,600 bottles produced.
Rating: 14/20
Price: Not yet released
2005 Aszú 6 Puttonyos Furmint
Vinification: 2 years barrel ageing, residual sugars 220 g/l
Tasting Notes: Corkyness on the nose, followed by spice and loads of wet rocks. Syrupy texture, very thick. Fresh and canned mandarin orange, green apple, and raisins on the finish. 3,000 bottles produced.
Rating: 14/20
Price: Not yet released
2006 Tokaji Cuvée “Autumn in Tokaj” Late Harvest
Blend: 60% hárslevelű, 30% furmint, 10% zeta
Vinification: few months barrel ageing, residual sugars 165 g/l, acidty 6.8 g/l, 9% ABV
Tasting notes: Herbs, dill, and mineral aromas. Full-bodied, silky, and not too acidic. Honey, apricot, and white peach flavors. 6,223 bottles produced.
Rating: 14/20
Price: $38 / .5L in US market
2005 “Betsek” Late Harvest Yellow Muscat
Vinification: few months barrel ageing, residual sugars 133 g/l, acidity 7.8 g/l, 10.5% ABV
Tasting Notes: Beautiful and complex nose with tropical, lychee, mineral, floral, nutmeg, and marshmallow aromas. Nice acidity, rich and full-bodied. Wet stones, honey, dried apricot, and marshmallow flavors
Rating: 17/20 (My favorite wines of the trip)
Price: $54 / .5L in US market
2006 Late Harvest Furmint
Vinification: few months barrel ageing, residual sugars 150 g/l, acidity 5.9 g/l, 9% ABV
Tasting Notes: Honey, raisin, pear and floral aromas. Full-bodied, wonderful silkiness, mild acidity, and not too complex. Pear, honey, and syrup flavors.
Rating: 13/20
Price: $30 / .5L in US market
2006 Aszú Eszencia Hárslevelű (in barrel)
Vinification: residual sugars 280 g/l, will be blended with 13 other different wines, bottled in late 2009, aged 1 year in bottle
Tasting Notes: Ripe nose with crushed fruit, mild oak, and floral aromas. Thick, syrupy, creamy, silky texture. Complex, full body with raisin and dried apricot flavors.
Rating: 15-16/20
Price: Well above $100, 2011 estimated release
2006 Aszú Eszencia Yellow Muscat (in barrel)
Vinification: residual sugars 280 g/l, will be blended with 13 other different wines, bottled in late 2009, aged 1 year in bottle
Tasting Notes: Pronounced peach aromas, and minerality. Effervescent and prickly, still some light fermentation action. More acid, very vibrant and fruity. Raisin flavors.
Rating: 16/20
Price: Well above $100, 2011 estimated release
2006 Aszú Eszencia Hárslevelű-Yellow Muscat (in barrel)
Vinification: residual sugars 280 g/l, will be blended with 13 other different wines, bottled in late 2009, aged 1 year in bottle
Tasting Notes: Banana, mineral, and peach aromas. Silky texture. Pronounced raisin flavors.
Rating: 15/20
Price: Well above $100, 2011 estimated release
[…] 7 May 2009 by Kenny Continuation from May 6th Post … […]