Celebrating Holidays: How to Make It Through December

,

As the great Merle Haggard used to sing, “If we make it through December, everything’s gonna be all right I know.” Whether you’re cooking, entertaining, traveling, relaxing, or partying, the folks at Paul Marcus Wines have some advice to help you navigate the holiday season. The bottles mentioned below will hopefully bring you joy and serenity, two things we all need as the calendar turns to another year.

“If we make it through December, we’ll be fine.”

Burgundy’s Best

The 2022 Guy Bocard Meursault VV is a special wine because it represents the pinnacle of chardonnay from Burgundy. As Meursault should, it is opulent with a layered, luxurious texture, vibrant acidity, and proper tension. The vines are more than 50 years old grown on parcels with clay-limestone soils and southeastern exposure. It is aged 18 months on the lees—12 months in French oak barrels plus six months in stainless-steel vats. This stellar wine is rich, creamy, and buttery, with flavors of hazelnut and almond; it’s concentrated, precise, and fresh. Enjoy with seafood, chicken, turkey, mushroom cream sauce, and soft creamy cheeses.

— Paul Marcus

Fuel for the Journey

The American Road Trip—a grand highway of gas stations, scenic lookouts, and truck stops—could be said to hold similar virtues and possible pitfalls as the American holiday table; a well-planned trip like a well-appointed table is marked by both tradition and newness. Family and friends fill the seats and are the true centerpiece of both outings.

But do we have to drive an American car or drink American wine? You can, and they often work well, but in the spirit of international collaboration, I recommend the following wines for your table this year. (And because I think that turkey is a JV main course, it surely needs some help from gravy—and-wine.)

Standing, Chatting, and Cooking:

2024 Domaine Tempier Bandol Blanc

Serve chilled. Crisp yet with enough viscosity to marry the turkey and the potatoes, who, let’s face it, are an item. A fabulous, aromatically complex wine that is one of the very best wines in the region.

At the Table, to Start:

NV Hure Freres Champagne ‘Invitation’

Serve cold in regular wine glasses. A crisp, balanced glass of Champagne can go with anything. This has the luscious toasty notes but with a curved spine of bright citric acid that carries the ripe fruit forward. An amazing glass.

and/or

2023 AT Roca Reserva Rosat Cava 

Serve cold in regular wine glasses. I would serve this after the Hure Freres as it is a rosé. From the Penedes near Barcelona, this wine is made Méthode Champenoise. Crisp and very dry. Got oysters?

At the Table, to Continue:

2024 Domaine Tempier Bandol Blanc Redux (for those who want white wine with the main)

and

2022 Amorotti, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo (Brâncuși’s Prometheus in twilight)

Serve chilled. Currently my favorite wine in the shop, exciting and complex and immensely drinkable. Biodynamic and organic and, for me, the best Cerasuolo in Italy. Best if you think about it… and should only be made in magnum.

— Chad Arnold

Hitting the Mark

It comes as no big surprise that I choose to highlight a Champagne. While there are many wonderful sparkling wines on our shelves, there’s nothing that quite hits the mark like Champagne. But even within this category, there are wines that truly stand apart. We may not “need” them, but they are often the ones we are most excited to share with you. Enter: L’Oeil de Perdrix (aka The Partridge’s Eye).

L’Oeil de Perdrix, the unusual name for the palest pink wines of Champagne, dates back to the Middle Ages. Let’s take a step back in time to the early days of Champagne, back when the climate was far cooler, and before the development of trapping bubbles on purpose during bottle conditioning. In this era, winemakers competed with other warmer regions (namely, Burgundy) to make quality red and white still wines.

In an attempt to bolster the flavors of their white wines, winemakers tried crafting blanc de noir (white wine of red grapes). However, with the limited technology at the time, any attempt to direct-press red grapes still resulted in pale pink wines—as pink as the center of a partridge’s eye. Modernization and technological improvements resulted in clearer, whiter pressed juice and led to the decline of this unique wine made in Champagne.

These days, very few winemakers carry on this tradition (likely to be found in northwest Switzerland of all places), and even fewer who do so in Champagne. However, Jerome Dehours has revived and celebrated this tradition of light pink wines—only this time, with bubbles! Jerome organically farms 42 different vineyards that amount to a mere 14.5 hectares across three villages in the Marne Valley. The majority of his parcels (about 70 percent) are pinot meunier, a grape particularly well suited to this delicate style. This wine is mostly meunier (74 percent) and some chardonnay (16 percent) with a touch of reserve wine (10 percent). The wine is fermented in stainless steel and only the barest touch of dosage is added; both elements allow the meunier fruit to shine.

And the flavors abound! For such a subtle wine, there is an excess of character. Fruits of crunchy cranberry and juicy orange zest blend with textured dried flowers, red tea, and the slightest hint of spices. The palate matches the aroma and is just as nuanced; the fruit shines with delightfully lean, silky bubbles and refreshingly bright acidity that carries the flavors across the long, elegant finish.

— Ailis Peplau

From Tuscany to Table

For me, sangiovese is one of the most versatile and enjoyable varieties in the world, a good match with a wide range of cuisine from lighter fare to richer meat and poultry dishes. In particular, this is true of wines from Tuscany’s Chianti Classico region. With all of the diverse and contrasting foods that appear on most of our holiday tables, Chianti Classico can be a great choice. Along with a number of old favorites, we have several new, exciting items from the region to offer.

First, I would like to focus on the tiny six-hectare estate of Tregole, whose very high-altitude (over 500 meters) vineyards are located in the northern part of the Castellina zone overlooking Radda. The estate is overseen by the owner and winemaker Sophie Conte. The viticulture is organic, and the wines are made from 100 percent sangiovese grapes. The 2022 Tregole Chianti Classico is a very pure, generous, yet elegant wine—very expressive and open already, with gentle tannins. And it’s a tremendous value to boot. Highly recommended.

If you want to dial it up a bit and see how Chianti Classico can be every bit as great as Brunello di Montalcino, I suggest you check out these new offerings that receive the Gran Selezione designation, intended to be seen as a step above Riserva.

The gorgeous, mid-weight 2019 Terreno Chianti Classico Gran Selezione ‘Sillano’ offers beautiful cherry notes and has enough bottle age to show some secondary flavors with very smooth tannins.

The 2020 Castello di Ama Gran Selezione ‘San Lorenzo’ is a fuller, darker, plush, and polished Gran Selezione. This wine has such a concentrated and intense feel that you might think it would be quite tannic, but it isn’t. It drinks beautifully now and, like the Terreno, comes in at a relatively low 13.5 percent alcohol.

The ripest and biggest of the three is the 2020 Le Cinciole Gran Selezione ‘Aluigi’—it’s full, rich, long, and layered, but still a wine that drinks beautifully already and does not come across as heavy-handed. Emilia, Mark, and I recently had the pleasure of sharing a meal and tasting some older wines with Valeria and her daughter Veena from the estate. We tasted a 2011 and a 2010 and were astonished by how fresh and youthful the wines remain. We all thought they tasted like they were about five years younger.

Luca and Valeria in Le Cinciole vineyards

Many people may not realize how long and beautifully Chianti Classico can age, especially for a wine that does not start out as severely tannic. The Le Cinciole wines provided great examples of how gracefully they can evolve. The solution, of course, is to drink a couple of bottles while they are young and lay down a few for the future.

— Joel Mullennix

Chill Out

Since long before “chillable red” became a go-to category, a year-round refreshment, and even a section in the PMW wine fridge, Hungary and adjacent Central European countries have been making Siller (pronounced “SHILL-er”). The 2024 Heimann & Fiai Szekszárd Siller ‘Piros,’ Zoltán and Zoltán Jr. Heimann’s version, is two-thirds blaufränkisch with no maceration and one-third kadarka with short maceration. The result is a wine that dances on the boundary of dark rosé and light red—spicy and freshissimo and ready to get chill(ed)—even in December.

— Mark Middlebrook

/by Paul Marcus Wines

Reflections: Exploring Loire Valley Wines

At the start of June, Chad and I hosted a Loire Valley-inspired dinner with our friends at the Wolf. We were joined by many loyal shop customers along with a handful of industry veterans—all equally eager to embark on this journey. We had no idea there would be such immediate interest in the event, and the high demand meant that our meal was a slightly snug fit, which only emphasized the intimate, friendly atmosphere.

And the food! From the first bite, we knew that we were in for a delight. The potato pavé was a little square of joy leaving us all craving more—crisped on the outside, the layers of potato sliding apart in the mouth. It was absolute perfection, especially when paired with Domaine de la Paleine Saumur Brut.

Already off to a great start, the most unusual and thought-provoking course was the “surf & turf” steak tartare served on top of octopus carpaccio with herbs, all wrapped together with a most luxurious olive oil. Shocking, but highly effective! This was paired with Paul Prieur’s Sancerre ‘Pieuchaud Silex,’ a focused, mineral, chalky sauvignon blanc, as well as his Sancerre Rouge, a lifted, delicate pinot noir boasting red fruit and dried earth that did not overpower the food.

As the evening continued, chef Yang Peng continued to impress. With the two cabernet francs—the 2015 Domaine de la Chevalerie Bourgueil ‘Bretêche’ and the 2021 Bernard Baudry Chinon ‘La Croix Boissée’—she served the most melt-in-your-mouth pork belly and a spiced beef brisket (garnished with shaved jalapeño and a kiss of basil). It takes such skill not only to pair the wines but to elevate them; both of these wines tasted better than they ever have!

One goal of the dinner was to disrupt the expected serving progression of lightest wines to richest. Not only did we have the Sancerre blanc and rouge served side by side, but we also toggled from cab franc to chenin blanc and then back to red, before moving on to dessert wine. We also snuck in a brief cheese “interlude” to refresh the palate and the mind—an ash-rubbed goat’s milk served with an aged Muscadet (the 2015 Huchet Muscadet Monnieres Saint-Fiacre). It was a brilliant choice.

One of my favorite wine duos was a “battle” of chenin vs. chenin: the 2019 Thibaud Boudignon Savennières ‘Clos de Frémine’ against the 2020 Domaine Belargus Anjou Noir. At first, these two wines were vastly different, the Belargus being the richer, nuttier, more generous wine (a product of the warmer vintage and élevage in slightly more new oak), and the Boudignon being stony, mineral, and filled with mouthwatering acid. But as they sat in the glass, the Boudignon gained richness, and the Belargus grew focused—both wines coming together toward the center.

After the plethora of wines on the menu, Chad surprised the group with two bonus selections from his cellar: Boudignon’s 2013 Savennières (a blended wine from the estate’s early days) and the 2013 Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc ‘La Charpentrie.’ Again, the two wines couldn’t have been more contrasted at the outset—and from two winemakers that are very close friends!

The night ran somewhat longer than expected, as we were all reluctant to depart such a warm, welcoming place. We eventually pulled ourselves away and made our way home—sleepy, content, and dreaming of France…

— Ailis Peplau

/by Paul Marcus Wines

Why We Love: Chenin Blanc (The Other Great French White Wine)

On a sunny afternoon not long ago, four of us gathered in a Berkeley backyard to sip and sup and suss the singular case of Loire Valley chenin blanc. “What’s up here?” we asked ourselves. “What do these wines bring to the table, and how do we perceive and enjoy them in the pantheon of French and world white wines?”

As we settled in, we mused on chenin’s relationship to two other great white wines of France: Champagne and white Burgundy. Loire chenin blanc, we realized, serves less often as a celebratory or special-occasion wine, and we wondered why that is.

Champagne… OK, we all get it: The Champenois have spent generations cementing their wine’s reputation as the archetype of celebration. As for Burgundy, we agreed that great Loire chenin blanc shares two significant qualities with chardonnay: viscosity and grandeur. But if white Burgundy is the marble staircase rising in the foyer, chenin blanc is perhaps the hand-wrought, curving, Gaudi-esque iron flight. To move the analogy to Mount Everest: It’s, say, Edmund Hillary’s months-long, oxygen-tank-carrying siege up the South Col in 1953 compared to Reinhold Messner’s 1980 solo without oxygen. Both successful, and both with unobstructed views, but the routes and tactics differed greatly.

Another complicating curve of chenin blanc is the historical question of dryness and sweetness. Chenin blanc is one of those remarkable grape varieties that’s capable of making almost any kind of wine, from teeth-rattlingly dry to unctuously dessert sweet, not to mention sparkling. (The Loire Valley is France’s second-largest producer of sparkling wines, after Champagne.) The old-school Loire chenin blanc style is demi-sec (off-dry), balanced by chenin’s prominent acidity, but the current trend is drier, and all of the wines that we discuss here are dry.

Our first flight included current vintages of two longtime PMW denizens: the 2019 François Chidaine Montlouis ‘Clos du Breuil’ ($39) and 2018 Domaine aux Moines Savennières ‘Roche aux Moines’ ($42). Both were as comfortable as a favorite, old wool sweater. “Wooliness,” of course, is a common descriptor for the texture and lanolin notes of richer chenin blanc. “Honeyed minerality” and “wet concrete in November” also fit the bill. Yes, there’s a richness of fruit and mouth feel, but it’s tempered by chenin’s minerality and big-time acidity. One might also notice the red-fruit flavors in some of these wines. (Funny how that can happen in white wines!)

We also noted the vineyard names on the label (Clos du Breuil and Roche aux Moines). As with other noble varieties–like riesling, pinot noir, chardonnay, and nebbiolo–chenin blanc offers a great transparency to the land in which it grows, and the middle Loire Valley is a fascinating puzzle of soil types and slope exposures. These wines are a vinous ticket to exploring chenin terroir.

For our second flight, we visited Anjou, the wine appellation named after the medieval province centered on the beautiful, historic city of Angers. We pulled out two nine-year-old wines from Loire biodynamic grower and superstar Thibaud Boudignon: a 2012 Anjou Blanc and 2012 Anjou Blanc ‘a François(e).’ Both are testaments to the age-worthiness of Loire chenin blanc, with ‘a François(e)’ being the richer and more powerful cuvée, made from grapes from Thibaud’s best plots in Anjou. Any fan of any age-worthy white wine–Burgundy, riesling, or otherwise–would be happy to drink and proud to serve wines like these from her or his cellar (and, be it noted, at a significantly lower price than white Burgs of similar quality). These two wines were almost a decade old, but they and other serious chenin blancs can age effortlessly for multiple decades.

Although the 2012s are long gone, fear not: We have in stock the 2018 Boudignon Anjou Blanc ($45) and 2017 Boudignon Anjou Blanc ‘a François(e)’ ($75). Like so much white Burgundy and Champagne, these wines are beautiful now, but will handsomely repay aging in your cellar if you’re so inclined. (We also have Boudignon’s three magisterial bottlings of 2019 Savennières: ‘La Vigne Cendrée,’ ‘Clos de Frémine,’ and ‘Clos de la Hutte.’)

Our newest chenin blanc discovery is Domaine Belargus, a new Loire Valley estate with a single focus on chenin blanc and its different terroirs in the mid Loire Valley, including Anjou. (“Belargus” is a rare species of brilliantly blue-winged butterfly that inhabits the vineyards.) We have the 2019 Domaine Belargus ‘Anjou Noir’ ($36) (the “Noir” refers not to the color of the grapes, but to the dark color of the schist-and-shale-rich soils in the western half of the Anjou appellation) and the 2018 Domaine Belargus Anjou ‘Ronceray’ ($57), from seven tiny vineyard plots surrounding the Ronceray Abbey. This is most certainly a domaine to investigate now, before collectors get on board and drive up prices.

So there you have it–chenin blanc produces electric wines in a great breadth of style, flavor, and complexity, and, as our sunny backyard tasting proved, it’s a grape that inspires equally crackling conversation.

*****

To encourage you to join us in our chenin blanc explorations, we’re offering 15 percent off any six bottles of chenin blanc through the month of August. Besides the wines we mention in this article, we have lots more on our shelves, ranging from $20 to around $200 for the rarest of them all, so please ask us for recommendations. We are all deeply excited about the noteworthy chenin blancs we have right now, and we’d love to share them with you.

by Chad Arnold and Mark Middlebrook

/1 Comment/by Paul Marcus

Why We Love: Cesanese

I have a warm, soft spot for Cesanese d’Affile. This lesser-known red varietal from Lazio really resonates with me for a number of reasons. Cesanese has a particularly deep-red translation of soil to fruit, as well as an herbal-tinged flavor profile and a texture that strangely reminds me of a rustic pinot noir. Sounds delicious, right? It is. Think plums, pomegranates, and cranberries, combined with floral aromas of juniper and spice.

Cesanese is quite versatile at the table, able to stand up to heartier roasted meat dishes (think leg of lamb or porchetta) while also able to handle simpler fare like cheese and olives. You can put a little chill on it, too, if the weather warrants such a thing. I might even go out on a limb and say Cesanese d’Affile is one of the more versatile red grapes out there. This late-ripening varietal is equally at home with pizza, anything tomato-centric, garlic aioli, or just a hunk of cheese and a beloved companion.

Cesanese d’Affile thrives in the red, volcanic hills of Olevano Romano, a commune just southeast of Rome by about 25 or so miles. (There is also a distinct, larger-berried clone found in this region, known as Cesanese Comune, which doesn’t quite possess Cesanese d’Affile’s complexity or refinement, but might be used to add richness to a blend.) This is hillside and even mountainous country by some standards. The 450 meters of elevation and a wide diurnal temperature variation (the shift from daytime high to nighttime low) give these wines an incredible lift, both aromatically and on the palate.

My absolute favorite examples of Cesanese d’Affile come from Damiano Ciolli and his partner, Letizia Rocchi. The Ciolli family vineyards sit in a natural amphitheater with a southerly exposure and include seven hectares of Cesanese d’Affile, with some of the vines being close to 70 years old. They craft two incredible bottlings, both from 100 percent Cesanese d’Affile: the younger-vine, concrete-aged Silene and the old-vine, oak-aged Cirsium riserva. Silene and Cirsium are names of local wildflowers that grow abundantly between the vines. These wines are so honest and pure; they bring immense pleasure every time I drink them.

 

 

Speaking of undiscovered red varietals from Italy, we have some intriguing options currently in the shop:

2018 Vignai da Duline Schioppettino
From Venezia Giulia, this is a gorgeous wine with subtlety and elegance. Wonderfully black-fruited and earth-driven, with notes of plum and spice, it’s eminently drinkable, yet serious and thought provoking.

2017 Tasca Tenuta Regaleali Perricone ‘Guarnaccio’
This obscure Sicilian red grape, sometimes compared to barbera, deserves more attention. It leans toward the darker side of the flavor spectrum, with a bit more of an earthy edge.

2019 Chessa Cagnulari
A new addition to our inventory comes from Sardinia, and it offers an herbaceous, dark-fruited intensity buoyed by a chord of smoke-tinged salinity. Fire up the lamb and fennel stew!

/0 Comments/by Jason Seely

Regional Roundup: The Dry White Wines of Hungary, Part II: Somló, Hajós-Baja, Mátra, Badacsony

,

Last month, I wrote about dry wines (and one sweet ringer) from Tokaj, in northeast Hungary. This month, we’ll fan out into other Hungarian wine regions and explore more of the dazzling plethora of characterful indigenous grapes, wine regions (many of them, like Tokaj, with volcanic soils), and small, family-run producers.

Most Hungarian white wines offer some body and texture, along with prominent acidity and minerality. They’re also low in alcohol; all but one of the wines presented here are under 13 percent. Don’t let the unfamiliar words on the labels scare you off: I’ve included some pronunciation guidance below, and in any case, the proof is in the glass. If you love French, Italian, Iberian, and higher-acid domestic white wines, these wines will expand your horizons and add a new dimension to your meals (or Zoom happy hours).

Hungary Wine Map

The Hungarian wine appellations mentioned in this article (plus Tokaj, from last month’s article).

2013 Fekete Béla Somló Hárslevelű ($23)

Somló (SHOWM-low) is a wine appellation in western Hungary, not too far from the border with Austria–a low volcanic mountain rising out of the plain. Fekete Béla is by local acclaim the “Grand Old Man” of the appellation. This very wine is the last vintage that he made before retiring in his 90s. Hárslevelű (harsh-LEV-el-oo) is the grape variety, a genetic offspring of furmint that’s more aromatic and a little softer in structure.

This wine is aged in large Hungarian oak casks for two years before bottling. The nose is a festival of dried herbs, with some dried flowers playing supporting roles. There are lots of texture and body, plus a hint of sweetness, with just enough balancing acidity and a whisper of bitterness. Those who like aged Sancerre will enjoy this. And how often do you get to drink seven-year-old Hárslevelű?! Try it with herb-y pizza or pasta sauce, or just on its own at the end of a meal, maybe with an herb-crusted semi-aged cheese. (13.5 percent alcohol)

2017 Sziegl Pince Hajós-Baja Olaszrizling Birtokbor ($22)

Hajós-Baja (HI-yosh-BYE-uh) is located in southern Hungary, near Serbia. Olaszrizling (OH-loss-reez-ling), called welschriesling or riesling italico in other countries, has no genetic relationship to true riesling. It’s widely planted throughout Eastern Europe and the most widely planted white variety in Hungary. The Sziegl family started their winery in 2012, with husband Balázs in the vineyards and wife Petra running the cellar and making the wine–a new generation following the old Hungarian custom of men working in the vineyards and women running the cellars. (Pince (PEEN-sa) means cellar; it’s a word you see frequently on Hungarian labels.)

Their olaszrizling is bright, mineral, and slightly herbal, with medium body and mouthwatering acidity. It leans more toward grüner veltliner than toward riesling. GV fans, among others, should check it out. Drink it with all of those green things that you’re inclined to eat with grüner veltliner or sauvignon blanc: artichokes, green beans, basil, arugula pesto… (12.5 percent alcohol)

2018 Losonci Mátra Riesling [skin contact] ($22)

This winery, run by Bálint Losonci (low-SHOWN-see), is in the volcanic appellation of Mátra, in north-central Hungary, between Budapest and Tokaj. He and a few other likeminded small producers are rehabilitating the reputation of Mátra from decades of Communist-era industrial farming and winemaking. Bálint farms organically and works naturally in the cellar, favoring skin contact for the white wines, no filtering, and only minimal SO2 addition at bottling. All of the wines benefit from naturally high acidity due to the crazy mix of volcanic, iron-rich clay, and chalky soils in the vineyards.

This wine is true riesling–not olaszrizling—but utterly unlike any you’ve had, thanks to the soils and a week of skin contact. It’s the other end of the spectrum from a Mosel (German) riesling: spicy, smoky, redolent, textured, and powerful, yet still without overt weight or alcohol, and of course completely dry. If you love riesling, you need to try this wine–and if you don’t, you probably should try it, too, because it’s so atypical. Smoked oysters, spring rolls, kolbasz (the Hungarian version of kielbasa), and barbecue all leap to mind. My wife and I also enjoyed it with a bunch of Vietnamese dishes from Tay Ho in downtown Oakland–yes, that’s a plug. (12.5 percent alcohol)

2017 VáliBor Badacsony Kéknyelű ($32)

Kéknyelű (cake-NYAY-loo) is the grape variety, of which there are 41 hectares (100 acres) in existence, all of them in Badacsony (BOD-ah-chah-nya), a region on the northern shores of Lake Balaton in western Hungary. The producer, Péter Váli, has the perfect description of this wine: “It tastes like frosted basalt rocks.” There’s a smoky, flinty minerality. It’s textural, but with knife-edge acidity. This is a special wine; it’s age-worthy, and also drinking great now. Chablis drinkers will love it–and it offers Premier Cru quality at a Village-level price. Think oysters, Petrale sole, and shrimp risotto. (12 percent alcohol)

 

2018 Losonci Mátra Pinot Gris [skin contact] ($23)

Here’s another skin-contact white (or, more properly, gray/gris/grigio) from Bálint Losonci in Mátra. Three weeks of skin contact give a medium rosé color and extravagantly spicy nose with minerals, rocks, and baking spices. Aficionados of skin-contact white wines, step right up: This is your (dry) jam. There’s some tannin, so pair it with proteins: Meats (pork, chicken, tacos al pastor) and hard cheeses work well. Or, if you like a gentle tannic twang unadulterated, go for it. (12.5 percent alcohol)

 

 

Many thanks to Eric Danch of Danch & Granger Selections, the importer and distributor of all of these wines, for his help with this article.

/0 Comments/by Mark Middlebrook

Regional Roundup: The Dry White Wines of Hungary, Part I: Tokaj

,
Hungary Wine Map

Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum (“Wine of Kings, King of Wines”) was the famously enthusiastic pronouncement by King Louis XV as he proffered a glass of Hungarian Tokaji to Madame de Pompadour, the official chief mistress of his court. (Yes, that was a real position in Ancien Régime France.) Louis and his main squeeze were enjoying a sweet wine in the mid-18th century. Though traditional Tokaji remains among the noblest sweet wines in the world, the habits and attention of most of us–noble, bourgeois, and plebs alike–have turned to dry wines.

Luckily for us, modern Hungary is here to help, with a dazzling plethora of characterful indigenous grapes. The white wines tend to have some body and texture, along with prominent acidity and minerality. They’re also low-alcohol; all of the wines presented here are under 13 percent. The words on the labels may be unfamiliar and a little challenging to pronounce, but don’t let that scare you off. With a wide array of wine regions (many of them with volcanic soils) and small, family-run producers, Hungary offers so much to discover and enjoy for those of us who love French, Italian, Iberian, and domestic white wines.

This month, we’ll discuss white wines from Tokaj (TOKE-eye), in northeast Hungary, with a little chunk of Slovakia. (Tokaj is the name of the region; Tokaji is the wine from that region.) Next month, we’ll cover white wines from four other Hungarian wine regions.

2018 Bodrog Borműhely Dry Tokaj ($16)

Bodrog is the main river running through Tokaj, and Borműhely (bor-MEW-hay) means “wine workshop.” This wine, made with 70 percent furmint and 30 percent hárslevelű (Tokaj’s two most important grapes), is organically farmed, then fermented and aged in stainless steel. Salty, high acid, and fully dry, with some texture, it’s utterly delicious and an outrageous deal for an organic wine of this quality and character. If you enjoy fresh, young Loire Valley chenin blanc, give this a try. Drink it with clams, chicken, or something spicy, or even as an aperitif if you like something with a little body. (12.5 percent alcohol)

2018 Tokaj Nobilis Furmint Barakonyi ($24)

This wine is all furmint, the most noble variety in Hungary and the backbone of most Tokaji, whether dry or sweet. Tokaj native Sarolta Bárdos created this family winery in 1999, and her vineyards are also certified organic. She is among the new generation leading the quality renaissance in Tokaj and part of a long tradition of woman winemakers in Hungary (where the men historically worked in the vineyards, and the women ran the cellars).

This wine comes from the single vineyard Barakonyi, which has been officially recognized as first-class (premier cru, more or less) since 1737. Fermentation and aging are done in Hungarian oak barrels. It delivers pear-like, slightly honeyed fruit with an almost icy minerality and a hint of oak. There’s texture, elegance, purity, and length; those who enjoy white Burgundy or restrained California chardonnay will like this a lot. (Plus, where are you going to find one of those from a premier cru vineyard for $24?!) Drink it with richer fish and poultry dishes, pork, and spicy enchiladas. (12.9 percent alcohol)

2015 Barta Tokaji Furmint Öreg Király Dűlő ($32)

Here’s another 100 percent furmint dry Tokaji, this one from the equally storied, first-class Öreg Király Dűlő (Old King Vineyard). It’s the highest-altitude, steepest, and most distinctly terraced vineyard in Tokaj. The several extra years in the bottle give you the opportunity to see how dry Tokaji ages. Winemaker Vivien Újvári, yet another woman in charge of a Hungarian cellar, uses organic farming and minimalist winemaking techniques, aging her wines in larger Hungarian oak barrels. 

This wine is beautifully expressive and vibrant now, with a more smoky minerality and a saltier, quite savory palate. If Tokaj Nobilis Barakonyi echoes some of the qualities of white Burgundy, the analog for Barta Öreg Király Dűlő might be aged Loire chenin blanc. It’s a perfect accompaniment for white meats and game birds of all species, smoked salmon, and Asian dishes without too much sweetness. (12.7 percent alcohol)

2016 Patricius Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos (500ml, $45)

OK, this is an article about dry Hungarian white wines, but it would be a dereliction of vinous duty not to mention our one sweet wine from Hungary: Tokaji Aszú. (Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum!) It’s an aristocratically hedonistic and spectacularly delicious nectar made in part from individual berries (mostly furmint, plus in this case some hárslevelű and other local grapes zéta and kövérszőlő) affected by botrytis, a so-called “noble rot” that shrivels, concentrates, and transforms the flavor of the grapes. You’ll find notes of dried fruits, especially stone fruits, along with a thousand other flavors, fruit and otherwise. 

There’s no need to analogize here, because Tokaji Aszú is simply the greatest dessert wine in the world (sorry, Sauternes). It will sing with blue cheeses, chocolate, and even potato chips. (The last pairing is my invention, as far as I can tell. Try it with José Andrés potato chips, made by San Nicasio in Andalucía, Spain, and available at Market Hall Foods.) Or simply have this Tokaji Aszú on its own as a very special way to end a meal, perhaps with some dried apricots. (11.5 percent alcohol)

Many thanks to Eric Danch of Danch & Granger Selections, the importer and distributor of all of these wines, for his help with this article.

 

/0 Comments/by Mark Middlebrook

Why We Love: Rosato Tutto Il Giorno

There is something undeniably satisfying about a chilly glass of Provençal rosé on a warm summer’s evening (or, perhaps, afternoon). This style of rosé has become enormously popular around the world, and with good reason–gently fruity and crisp on the finish, these pale, refreshing wines are incredibly easy to enjoy, especially when temperatures are on the rise and light snacks are on the plate.

While France still dominates the pink market, wine drinkers in the U.S. have been exploring Italy’s dizzying array of rosato wines more than ever before. If you think that rosé is only suitable for porches and picnics, think again. Paul Marcus Wines offers a range of captivating, food-craving rosatos that will absolutely shine a tavola.

Our journey begins in the south, on the island of Sicily. The volcanic soils of Mt. Etna are home to the nerello mascalese grape, which produces a wonderfully complex and savory style of rosato. These wines tend to be quite dry, aromatic, and bursting with minerality. At PMW, we’ve been enjoying both the Graci Etna Rosato (a bit more focus) and the Terre Nere Etna Rosato (a tad more fruit). From the southern part of the island comes the Due Terre Rosato di Frappato, a bright, floral wine with a striking deep-amber hue.

East of Rome and bordering the Adriatic Sea, the verdant Abruzzo region is the province of the dark-skinned montepulciano grape, which produces a rich, structured style of rosato called Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. The Ciavolich Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo ‘Fosso Cancelli’ is darker in color than some of the “red” wines that we carry. After 24-36 hours of skin maceration in concrete, this wine is moved to terracotta amphorae for further fermentation and aging, resulting in a wine that is dense, yet still lively–a match for more substantial fare than your typical rosé. Fermented and aged briefly in stainless steel, the low-sulfite Cirelli Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo represents a lighter version of this noteworthy type of rosato.

Next we move to Piemonte, where the majestic nebbiolo grape reigns supreme. The nebbiolo of Alto Piemonte, in the northern part of the region, is usually more etched and mineral-driven, with softer tannins, than the nebbiolo found in the more-famous Langhe area two hours to the south. Producers and consumers alike are quickly discovering how well suited the nebbiolo of Alto Piemonte is to rosato.

PMW currently stocks three different expressions of Alto Piemonte rosato. The rust-colored Le Pianelle Coste della Sesia Rosato ‘Al Posto dei Fiori’ adds a touch of vespolina and croatina to its nebbiolo foundation, along with just a hint of oak influence. It’s a full-flavored, multifaceted rosato that still manages to be fresh and nimble thanks to ample acidity and a mineral edge. The Antoniolo Gattinara Rosato ‘Bricco Lorella’ undergoes a relatively short maceration (about three hours), and the resulting wine is vibrant and graceful, with vivid red-berry notes.

Finally, we have Nervi’s Il Rosato, which falls stylistically somewhere between the first two. The oldest estate in the Alto Piemonte DOCG of Gattinara, Nervi was recently purchased by Barolo superstar Roberto Conterno, and they decided to use some of their top vines for this delightful rosato. Malolactic fermentation and a spell of lees aging give this wine a bit of texture without sacrificing any of its zest. For a different twist on Piemonte rosato, try the Vigneti Massa Rosato ‘Terra Libertà’, an herbaceous blend of barbera, cortese, and freisa that hails from the Colli Tortonesi in Piemonte’s southeastern hills.

Summer might be creeping to a close, but these versatile, food-friendly rosatos have year-round appeal. Visit or call us at Paul Marcus Wines to begin your discovery of Italian pinks. Buon viaggio!

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer