Riczu Winery
Villány Region
Tamás Riczu is a big advocate for organic farming and vegan wine—“it just tastes better,” he told us. He has been making wine in the region for 17 years now, first working with other wineries, but now on his own seven hectare estate, located on his Akasztófa vineyards in Siklós. Siklós (which was known as Serena in the Roman era) dates back to prehistoric times, with a 13th-century castle looming over the town. Riczu grows Blaufrankish, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Olaszrizling, all of which is organically farmed. His wines are amazingly smooth, deep, and elegant.
Riczu, Villányi Rozé (Classicus), 2020
All of Riczu’s wines are organic and vegan, and Tamás Riczu is an advocate of organic and vegan winemaking in the Villány region. He has become sort of the go-to person when a winery wants to convert from conventional to organic agriculture, making him a busy and sought-after consultant. The grapes for this wine were—as you can guess—organically farmed, and no animal-origin product was used during the winemaking. This rosé is a blend of 60 percent Kékfrankos and 40 percent Merlot grapes, which were hand-harvested on September 7th. It was produced in the traditional fresh pink-wine fashion of stainless steel fermentation and brief ageing prior to bottling. The Kékfrankos gives the wine its freshness, while the Merlot helps bring some plushness and texture to it. This bone-dry rosé (with just 0.8 grams of residual sugar) has a crisp and juicy palate with delicious raspberry and cherry flavors.
Riczu, Kékfrankos (Premium), 2018
Kékfrankos is Hungary’s most planted grape (the same variety as Austria’s Blaufränkisch, grown primarily in the Burgenland region). The grape takes on riper and rounder characteristics in southwestern Hungary, in the warm climate region of Villány (just next to the Croatian border), where this wine comes from. Villány is widely regarded as Hungary’s premier red wine region. Down there, more notes of black currant, blackberry, and black cherry appear, complementing the grape’s more typical notes of fruits like raspberries and currants. This wine was made from a very low yield of perfectly ripe grapes, which were manually harvested on October 5 and then hand sorted. The wine was aged in second-use 225-liter Hungarian oak barrels for 12 months. It has a deep ruby-purple color, with intense aromas and flavors of sour cherry, black cherry, blueberries, dark chocolate, potpourri, and a touch of oak. It is juicy, fresh, and full on the palate. The limestone soil brings an enjoyably zesty acidity to balance the wine’s intensity, with smooth tannins and a very long finish. This wine was the winner of the Kékfrankos category in the 2019 edition of the “100 best Hungarian Wines,”’ and it took first place in Hungary’s National Kékfrankos Competition. It’s delicious when paired with stews, game dishes, and lamb.
Riczu, Villányi Franc (Super Premium), 2018
The Cabernet Francs from Hungary—particularly from the Villány region—have become, arguably, Hungary’s most important red wines. If a 100-percent Cabernet Franc is produced from grapes grown in the Villány wine region following strict winemaking and vineyard rules (from the yield, to the vinification, and the ageing), then it can be labelled as a Villányi Franc, the pride of the region, as either a Premium or a Super Premium. The Super Premium category has the lowest maximum yield requirements (50 hectoliters per hectare). The minimum ageing period is two years, and one of those years must be spent in the barrel. Tamás Riczu, owner and winemaker, aged this wine for 23 months in first use oak barrels, but not just any barrels. He aged parts of the wine separately in French oak barrels, American oak barrels, and Hungarian oak barrels, and then blended them together after aging. This wine was made with the battonage technique (stirring the lees) while it aged in the barrel. Battonage is commonly used with white wines, but rarely for reds. The barrel-ageing in combination with the battonage helped to produce a full-bodied wine with a round mouthfeel, and ripe, soft, and well-integrated tannins. It has concentrated aromas of black currants, cocoa powder, cedar wood, and toffee. This wine will develop beautifully in the bottle or —if you can’t resist the temptation— in the glass. This wine would be a perfect complement for a steak dinner or a richly-flavored stew.
SOLD OUT