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Grown on the volcanic slopes of the Somlò hill in Hungary, this 100% Furmint wine is one of the best value whites we have come across in years. A clue to the power of this bottle comes in the golden hues of the liquid within, a nod towards the long ripening season the grapes undergo in this sheltered corner of the wine world’s best-kept secret. A nose tightly packed with lemon balm, apple skin, lime zest and pear open up to an alluring mineral note that carries through until long after the sip. The palate has some lovely weight and texture, thanks to the prolonged time on the lees in stainless steel tanks, which are accompanied by concentrated lemon and apple notes. The concentration and body are balanced wonderfully by mouth-watering acidity and a seamless, mineral finish that really persists in the mouth. Read More
Grown on the volcanic slopes of the Somlò hill in Hungary, this 100% Furmint wine is one of the best value whites we have come across in years. A clue to the power of this bottle comes in the golden hues of the liquid within, a nod towards the long ripening season the grapes undergo in this sheltered corner of the wine world’s best-kept secret. A nose tightly packed with lemon balm, apple skin, lime zest and pear open up to an alluring mineral note that carries through until long after the sip. The palate has some lovely weight and texture, thanks to the prolonged time on the lees in stainless steel tanks, which are accompanied by concentrated lemon and apple notes. The concentration and body are balanced wonderfully by mouth-watering acidity and a seamless, mineral finish that really persists in the mouth.
Trust us when we say the minerality here is really striking, akin to the chalky, steeliness more likely found in the Loire valley than in Hungary. And, for the price, wines of this structure and finesse are very hard to come by. Fans of France’s top white appellations should be grabbing hold of the Tornai Furmint with both hands (up to you if you tell your friends about it or keep the secret to yourselves!)
The Tornai Pincészet winery is the largest player in one of Hungary’s smallest wine growing regions, Somlò. Tornai has a long winemaking tradition that often goes overlooked by drinkers in the UK who know Hungary only for its sweet Tokaji wines. Somlò is a growing area blessed with amazing conditions for concentrated white grapes, with poor (good for growing grapes!), volcanic soils and perfect sheltering from the elements. The volcanic soils impart a cracking mineral character and the Tornai family have been crafting beautiful white wines here from Hungarian varieties for over half a century!
The Tornai winery, or Tornai Pincészet to address its full name, is the largest player in the tiny yet historically intriguing Somlò appellation of Hungary’s northwest. Somlò is a volcanic hill, covered almost entirely in vineyards and has been enticing wine-drinkers for centuries thanks to its powerful, mineral-rich expressions of native white grape varieties. The soils here are poor, often entirely made of basalt and volcanic rock which means that water is left to drain freely forcing the vines to dig deep for water and nutrients, producing, when successful, grapes of real concentration. Situated between a modest 150 - 350m above sea level, Tornai’s vineyards here benefit from a host of natural influences combining for some classy growing conditions. Sheltered by hills on all sides, Tornai’s sites on the Somlò hill are also graced by large shifts in temperature from day to night which allow the grapes a long ripening season on the vine. An accumulation of some seriously powerful citrus and stone fruit flavours combine with an unmistakable mineral character that is sustained throughout their wines.
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