Bencze Birtok, Furmint 2021

Situated near Lake Balaton on the basaltic Mount Szent György, are the sloping vineyards of the Bencze Birtok estate. Founded in 2011, initially as a more personal experimentation project, István Bencze cultivates 20 hectares of both newly planted and old vines in partnership with nature. The overarching drive of the project is to reflect the terroir and local character through native and forgotten Hungarian grape varietals. Wild yeasts drive spontaneous fermentation, and the wines are produced without sulphites or filtration with a focus on ageing in various clay amphorae. September harvest of three plots of Furmint clones takes place in multiple waves to capture the perfect ripeness. These vines were planted in 2014 at an altitude of 180m into a mosaic of soil types, including basalt, tuff, sandstone and clay. Gentle whole-bunch pressing is followed by spontaneous fermentation in clay amphora for 9 months on the fine lees. A further 24 months of ageing in earthenware then takes place. Incredibly mineral and fresh with herbaceous notes of kaffir lime leaves, sakura green tea and rangpur with a subtle nose of fresh fennel. Furmint 2021 would pair well with Kakiage vegetable tempura.