Volcanic Wine Awards | 25th anniversary events | The Jancis Robinson Story

Hungary's Balaton region – the tasting notes

Tuesday 23 July 2024 • 14 min read
Somló hill with staked vines in the foreground

After yesterday's exploration of the Balaton renaissance, Ollie reports here on the wines themselves. Above, the Somló Hill, with basalt-rock terraces and the basalt 'organ pipes' visible at the top, and traditional staked bush vines in the foreground.

The following 102 tasting notes are grouped by subregion as follows:

Within those groups the wines are presented alphabetically by producer (sur)name but you can change this. Note that the word dűlő signifies that a wine is the product of a single vineyard. 

Badacsony

From Szent György Hill. The grapes were crushed and then spent...

Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Csókaszőlő. From vineyards on Szent...

From the Templomdombi vineyard on Szent György Hill. Bencze’s...

Rajnai Rizling (Riesling). From a plot of terraced vines on...

From a plot on the Gulács Hill, where there is a little loam...

This bottling includes a small proportion of the pollinator...

From Badacsonyörs. Hand-harvested. Fermented in stainless-steel...

From Badacsonyörs. Hand-harvested. Fermented and aged in...

From a warm south-facing site on Badacsony Hill (terraced, hence...

30-year-old vines co-planted with Rózsakő on the south- and...

Bálint Földi is a great believer in Kéknyelű – he even wrote his...

40% Furmint, 40% Rajnai Rizling, 20% Olaszrizling. Owner and...

Contains 10% of the co-planted pollinator variety Rózsakő. From...

From a vineyard on the southern slopes of Badacsony Hill. The...

From a small plot on the south side of Csobánc Hill, next to the...

This is grown and made by the Viticulture and Oenology Research...

From a vineyard on Gulács Hill – pergola-trained vines. Hand...

Hand-harvested. Stainless-steel fermentation with selected...

From the Bács-Hegy vineyard on the ‘skirt’ of Köves Hill. Hand...

From an eight-year-old vineyard plot between the Bács and...

From the north-west side of Badacsony Hill. Bush vines. Low...

From a reclaimed vineyard on the Szigliget hills next to Lake...

From Szent György Hill. Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation...

From Szent György Hill. Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation...

From Szent György Hill. This autochthonous Hungarian variety was...

A great vintage, according to winemaker László Szeremley. Whole...

Hand-harvested. Short skin contact, then spontaneous...

A vineyard planted in 2005 on the southern side of the Tóti Hegy...

Ceramic bottle. 12 days on the skins and aged in amphora. Péter...

Rajnai Rizling. Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation. Aged...

A blend of Chardonnay, Rajnai Rizling, Olaszrizling...

From Csobánc Hill. Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation...

Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation. Aged for 20 months in...

Balatonboglár

Classified as a ‘Hegy Bor’ (hill wine) under the Balatoni Kör...

Classified as a ‘Hegy Bor’ (hill wine) under the Balatoni Kör...

A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir in equal...

Stainless-steel tank only. TA 6.2 g/l, RS 1 g/l.
There’s a...

Aged in 3,000-litre oak barrels for nine months. TA 5.3 g/l.
Tra...

Aged in 225-litre Hungarian oak for 14 months. TA 4.6 g/l.
Mid...

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz. Aged for 14...

From 25-year-old vines in Kötcse, south of Lake Balaton. Hand...

100% Cabernet Franc from the Landord vineyard. Hand-harvested...

Rajnai Rizling, Furmint, Chardonnay and Zenit. Traditional...

A very hot vintage. Owner and winemaker Ottó Légli never uses...

Fermented and aged for seven months in stainless-steel tanks. TA...

Balatonfüred-Csopak

A rare Kéknyelű from outside its Badacsony home. Hand-harvested...

Unusual to find Juhfark away from its Somló homeland. Hand...

Grown on calcareous soils in the Tag vineyard. Hand-harvested...

Certified organic.
Slightly more generous and fruit-expressive...

A blend of Zenit, Cserszegi Fűszeres, Királyleányka and...

The bottle carries the ‘Balaton Bor’ branding and label used by...

Conventional machine harvest, reductive fermentation, stainless...

Machine-harvested. Reductive fermentation in stainless-steel...

Machine-harvested. Stainless-steel-tank fermentation and then...

Winemaker Mihály Figula notes that Olaszrizling and Furmint are...

An unusual blend of Chardonnay, Olaszrizling and Furmint. Named...

A rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the Öreghegy in...

A Csopak Codex wine from the Kertmög vineyard in Paloznak. Hand...

90% Olaszrizling, 10% Rajnai Rizling. From vineyards around...

From 30-year-old vines in the Lipos vineyard on the Tihany...

Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation. Aged for seven months...

Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation. Aged for six months in...

Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation. Aged in 225-litre used...

From the Nivegy Valley. Stainless-steel fermentation with...

From marl soils ('márga' means marl). Hand-harvested. Fermented...

From the red Permian sandstone soils in the Slikker vineyard...

A field blend of Kékfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc...

A blend of vineyards from the Tihany peninsula, which juts out...

From the Tihany peninsula on basalt tuff. Hand-harvested. Aged...

From the eponymously named vineyard in front of the winery – a...

From vineyards located between Csopak and Paloznak. Hand...

From the Hajnóczy vineyard in Paloznak. Fermentation and ageing...

Hand-harvested. Reductive fermentation and then aged in oak...

Furmint and Olaszrizling. Fermented in stainless-steel tanks. TA...

Stainless-steel tank fermentation. TA 5.6 g/l, RS 0 g/l...

Single-vineyard wine (dűlő). Hand-harvested. Fermented in a mix...

Single-vineyard wine (dűlő). Hand-harvested. Aged for 12 months...

Kékfrankos, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. Hand-harvested...

Balatonfelvidék

Rezeda is the name of a flower which grows around the vineyards...

From the Töltési vineyard (dűlő) on the Fekete Hill. Grown on...

From the Pengyér vineyard (dűlő) in Monoszló. 35-year-old vines...

Kékfrankos and Cabernet Franc. A blend of basalt-rich sites in...

Furmint. Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless...

From the Mál vineyard. Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation...

Olivin is the name of the semi-precious green crystals that are...

60% Rajnai Rizling, 40% Olaszrizling from the basalt-rich tuff...

A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Kékfrankos...

Hand-harvested. Spontaneous fermentation lasting four weeks...

Somló

Spontaneous fermentation in barrel. Aged on lees without added...

From the basalt-rich western slopes of Somló Hill. Spontaneous...

Aged for 12 months in old Hungarian oak (1,000 litres).
Smoke...

6–12 hours’ skin contact. Then the juice goes into very old 1...

A field blend (owner/winemaker Tamás Kis calls this his...

100% Juhfark taken from different sites on all sides of the hill...

Same winemaking as the 2023. Certified organic.
Mid-straw colour...

A sui generis wine – made with the two rarest of the authorised...

Aged in large-format old oak. TA 4.8 g/l, RA 5.2 g/l, dry...

Aged in large-format old oak. Full malolactic conversion –...

A great vintage, according to István Spiegelberg. Aged for nine...

Zala

...

60% Olaszrizling, 40% Rajnai Rizling. Grown on the loess, clay...

From the Kövecs vineyard – the name is a reference to the large...

Dori Bussay’s father was one of the pioneers in reviving this...

Become a member to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 289,030 wine reviews & 15,889 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 289,030 wine reviews & 15,889 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 289,030 wine reviews & 15,889 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 289,030 wine reviews & 15,889 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Tasting articles

Benoit and Emilie of Etienne Sauzet
Tasting articles The last of our alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...
Simon Rollin
Tasting articles The penultimate of 12 alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...
Shaggy (Sylvain Pataille) and his dog Scoubidou
Tasting articles The 10th of 12 alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...
Olivier Merlin
Tasting articles The ninth of 12 alphabetically organised tasting articles: reviews of wines tasted by Matthew in the Côte d’Or and by...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Three Kings parade in Seville 6 Jan 2026
Don't quote me January is always a heavy month for professional wine tastings. This year Jancis fortified herself beforehand. 2026 got off to...
The Sportsman at sunset
Nick on restaurants Nick denies an accusation frequently levelled at restaurant critics. And revisits an old favourite. Those of us who write about...
White wine grapes from Shutterstock
Free for all Favourites among the quirkier vine varieties. A shorter version of this article, with fewer recommendations, is published by the Financial...
Otto the dog standing on a snow-covered slope in Portugal's Douro, and the Wine news in 5 logo
Wine news in 5 Plus, wet weather makes California drought-free for the first time in 25 years and leaves snow on Douro vineyards. Much...
Stéphane, José and Vanessa Ferreira of Quinta do Pôpa
Wines of the week If there’s one country that excels at value-priced wines, it would have to be Portugal. This is yet another wine...
Iceland snowy scene
Inside information For this month’s adventures Ben heads north to Denmark, Sweden and Norway. We’d arrived in a country whose Nordic angles...
Kim Chalmers
Free for all Kim Chalmers of Chalmers Wine and Chalmers Nursery in Victoria is no stranger to JancisRobinson.com. She was an important influence...
London Shell Co trio
Nick on restaurants A winning combination in North London beguiles Nick, who seems to have amused the trio behind it. Above, left to...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.