Description
Fekete Pince, “Aranyhegy” Furmint
Known as “The Grand Old Man of Somló,” Béla Fekete is a wine legend who spent five decades turning indigenous grapes from an extinct volcano into thought-provoking bottles with endless depth and aging potential. Every enchanting wine he crafted spoke to the mysticism swirling about the microscopic Hungarian appellation that is Somló, but as of the 2015 vintage, this wizened nonagenarian hung up his boots. That said, he’s hardly left: To this day, you’ll still find him monitoring harvest and guiding his successors in the cellar, all while living in a cottage surrounded by his former 3.5 hectares of vines.
Some of these are planted to Hungary’s most famous white grape, Furmint, and in 2015 they managed to produce…drumroll…a “whopping” 54 cases. It’s impossible to describe the singular taste of a Furmint from Fekete, mainly because (1) the ancient volcanic soils of Somló lend so much character to the wine and (2) the wine is raised unlike any other: brief skin contact, one year in 500-liter Hungarian oak casks, two in stainless steel, and another in bottle before release. Like a 5 Gum commercial, the result is a spectacular, if not jolting sensory experience—like a jet of salty, acidic volcanic spring water followed by an avalanche of pulverized basalt rock. For those seeking a wine dominated by terroir, this is the be-all and end-all bottling.
Prior to earning the “The Grand Old Man” label, Béla Fekete would make annual treks to Somló to purchase grapes for his micro-batch ‘garage’ wines. But one year in the early 1970s changed everything: A farmer on this fabled hillside asked Fekete if he would be interested in purchasing a small patch of vines. He accepted, and for the next 30+ years, he built up his holdings to 3.5 hectares and crafted the region’s greatest wines. He retired at a very ripe age in 2014, selling the estate to younger wine minds and close friends Ákos Dölle, György Emmert, and Gábor Riesz, all of whom call him “uncle.” We are pleased to announce all of them are determined to preserve the traditions and unique style Béla was known for—as evidenced by today’s 2015 and Béla’s continued presence as a consultant!
Because the privatization of Hungary’s wine industry didn’t occur until after 1989, when the Soviet’s communist regime ended, many contemporary consumers assume Hungary is a “new” winemaking frontier. That couldn’t be further from the truth, especially in Somló: Wine documentation, as well as the crumbling remains of a castle at the summit of the hill, dates back nearly 1,000 years here. Even kings and queens of yore revered Somlói wines, and they took them seriously, too. From their importer: “In 1752, local laws stated that if you were found adding water to wine, expect 25 lashings as the minimum punishment. If you were found to be labeling wine as Somló but using other fruit sources, you would be banned from making wine permanently and might even have your property confiscated.” The acclaim (but not the punishments) for these wines continued up until the Second World War, where vineyards were appropriated by the state and redistributed under communism. Obviously, tumultuous times followed—until the arrival of Béla Fekete.
Located in western Hungary, Somló is the country’s smallest appellation (PDO), consisting of a lone volcanic hill decorated with the crumbling remains of a 13th-century castle on top. Although today’s Furmint carries the Nagy-Somló designation—a broader appellation that encompasses Somló plus two other volcanic hills—the raw material still comes from Fekete’s original holdings on Somló. The soils here are rich in basalt and most of the vines sit at high altitudes with southeast sun exposure. Fekete’s 3.5 hectares are farmed without any “manicuring,” irrigation, or chemicals, and are sorted/harvested by hand. In the winery, today’s 2015 saw two hours of skin contact before a spontaneous fermentation in 500-liter Hungarian oak casks followed by 12 months of aging. The wine was then transferred into stainless steel where it aged for an additional 24 months. Finally, after three years in total, the wine was bottled—but not released to the public until the following year!
Those seeking ripe, juicy fruit in their wine should look elsewhere. In fact, there’s hardly any fruit presence at all. This is a searingly mineral-driven wine, peppered with basalt soil character, volcanic ash, lanolin, and smoke with a subtle backbone of salt-preserved lemon, pear skin, and underripe yellow apples. The palate is medium-bodied, staunchly bone-dry, and fiercely acidic with a sizzling, persisting presence of crushed minerals guiding the wine into a long finish. At six years old, this wine’s life is just beginning! Even their importer—Eric Danch, one of my favorite people in the industry—endorses its aging potential, saying he’s had decades-old bottlings that were zipping with energy. If consuming it now, I suggest treating it like Nicolas Joly’s legendary creations: Try it first to see where it is, and then decant for 1-3 hours, tasting along the way. Feel free to stretch your bottle over the course of many days—mine was still alive on day five! Cheers!
