Kőfejtő Red – Kőfejtő Pince
$27.90
In stock
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Somló is one of Hungary’s emblematic historical wine regions. Its unique, mineral-rich terroir, indigenous varieties and numerous small producers make it one of Hungary’s most exciting white-wine regions. Its wines have long been renowned thanks to their allegedly beneficial properties. They were sold in pharmacies to treat a variety of ailments, and their supposed ability to help conceive a male child gave them the nickname of ‘wedding night wine’.
Situated in northwestern Hungary to the north of the western reaches of Lake Balaton, Somló is one of the country’s smallest wine regions. One of the hill’s secret weapons is the black basalt bedrock which retains the heat of the day and radiates it back like a stove, keeping the vines warm on chillier days. The volcanic buttes are covered by sediment from the former Pannonian Sea (which once covered the area). Sand, gravel, and clay are mixed with basalt, basalt tuff, and calcareous tuff from the bedrock, which has been degraded into debris.
Most vineyard holdings in Somló are tiny, and many are owned by hobby winemakers. But the number of serious winemakers has grown considerably in recent years, and we are beginning to once again see why Somló wines were so famous historically.
Somló’s 507 hectares are dominated by white varieties, most notably Olaszrizling, Furmint, Juhfark, and Hárslevelű. Traditionally terroir had greater significance than the grape varieties, and Somló’s terroir is incredibly strong. The main attributes of a Somló wine are its characteristic salty minerality, high (often piercingly) acidity, and great age-worthiness. They are generally rather austere in their youth and need a few years to open, developing into complex wines with smoky, stony flavors, and sometimes a petrol-like intensity similar to Riesling. The wines are generally aged in large, old oak and often spend time on their lees, lending them a generous, creamy, full body.
Péter Tóth, owner of Kőfejtő Pince, and his family are among the few who live year-round on the idyllic Somló hill (since 2015). With most winemakers coming just to tend to their vines and work in the cellars, there are few permanent residents on this hill. Tóth’s small press house and cellar are located on the western side of the hill amongst some of his vineyards, with his family’s house nearby. When he was a child, his grandfather bought a vineyard in Somló, and he loved to go there to help work the land with his family. These early experiences set him on the path to studying winemaking and making his own wine. Tóth cultivates five hectares of vineyards with Olaszrizling, Furmint, Juhfark, Hárslevelű, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. He makes wine using all of his own grapes (he hasn’t bought grapes from other growers since 2017). Somló’s wines are known for their high acidity, but Kőfejtő’s have a lower acidity than is typical of the region’s wines. This is due to the location of the vineyards on the western side of the mountain, where there’s a lot of sunshine and heat. Combined with the soil composition (basalt gravel on sand and clay), this makes for a special microclimate in these volcanic vineyards. Though not certified as organic, Tóth works his vineyards without any chemicals. His winemaking is also pretty hands-off, with all of his wines spontaneously fermented and matured (for around six to eight months) in oak barrels from Zemplén. Tóth doesn’t make single varietal wines with each of his different varieties every year, but prefers to focus on his blends—both a white and a red one called the Kőfejtő cuvée—which he ages for two or three years. The ratio of his blends changes from year to year, as his goal is to make a blend which most expresses Somló. The white blend includes all four of Somlós most important varieties—Olaszrizling, Furmint, Hárslevelű and Juhfark—from different barrels. He bottles his single varietal wines in smaller quantities (under 900 bottles each).
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Patricia M. (verified owner) –