Bott Frigyes 2023 Furmint Južnoslovenská, Slovakia

750ml bottle

13% abv

Clean & fresh, with zesty citrus, flinty minerality, and lanolin. Elegant and nuanced, with delicate white flowers and fresh herbs. Crisp acidity keeps it lively & refreshing through the long finish.

100% Furmint
Climate: Continental (hot summers & cold winters)
Soils: Clay on top of volcanic bedrock
Maceration & Aging: direct basket pressed into Tokaji oak barrels and fermented and aged on the less for 8 months
Residual Sugar: 1.3 g/l
Acidity: 6.33 g/l

During our 2023 visit, it became clear to Frigyes that the flagship grapes of the estate should be Furmint and Kékfrankos. The Kadarka, Olaszrizling, Tramini, Muzsla Cuvée, Pinot Noir, and Juhfark aren’t going away, but in terms of a hierarchy from village to cru to grand cru, Furmint and Kékfrankos are the aim. And as he moves into more maceration, zero filtering, and longer elevage, he’s being extra careful not to have these elements obscure a sense of place.

Tons of lees, but not too many solids - a fine line. As such, this Furmint is direct basket pressed into Tokaji oak barrels and fermented and aged on the less for 8 months. Bottled unfiltered with a little SO2. A warmish vintage, but given their farming and latitude, this is a wonderfully fleshed out and alive vintage.

After WWI, Hungary lost around 71% of its territory to Romania, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia (Slovakia), Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia), and Austria. Over three million ethnic Hungarians found themselves outside of Hungary with significant outcome on the grapes and traditions that never stopped or are now coming back to life beyond the present day borders of Hungary. On the southern slopes of the Mužsla Hills in Slovakia surrounded by the river Garam, Danube and the Ipoly rivers, is one such example: Bott Frigyes. Even the neighboring village of Béla is where Judit and József Bodó of Bott Pince began their winemaking career (ethnically Hungarian but born in Slovakia) before moving to Tokaj. Long story short, a whole bunch of things all came together with Bott Frigyes coupled with great farming, honest winemaking, and delicious wines.

Bott and his son Frici cultivate ten hectares of vineyards next to the River Garam, at 250 metres above sea level. They are growing Furmint, Hárslevelű (Lipovina in Slovakia), Juhfark, Kékfrankos, Kadarka (cuttings are incidentally from Balla Géza in Romania who is also ethnically Hungarian), Tramini, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sárfahér and Olaszrizling. The soil is clay on top of volcanic bedrock, which is also rich in limestone and minerals.