Description
Frigyes Bott is an ethinc-Hungarian winemaker in the Garam Valley, in the heart of the historic Muzsla wine region in Slovakia—not far from the Hungarian border. The region lies inside the confluence of the Garam River, the Danube River, and the Ipoly River. Historically the region was the vineyard of the Esztergom Cathedral. Bott has around 10 hectares of vineyards, which have volcanic clay soil, rich in limestone and minerals. Bott makes biodynamic wines, using traditional methods and spontaneous fermentation (in both Hungarian oak barrels and amphora. He also likes to focus on the traditional local grape varieties (such as Furmint, Hárslevelű, Olaszrizling, Juhfark, Kékfrankos, and Kadarka). Like all of his wines, this Furmint was made with minimal intervention: whole-cluster pressing, spontaneous fermentation in Hungarian barrels (from Zemplén, in northeastern Hungary), ageing on the lees for 8 months in the barrels, and then bottling without filtering. This is a crisp wine with lots of body. The volcanic soil adds some flinty minerality, which gives the wine intriguing complexity. You’ll find flavors of citrus, apples (crisp fresh apples as well as baked apples), and floral scents. We like this wine with cheese and charcuterie.
