Remember the supposedly giant story about Michel Reybier, owner of Ch Cos d'Estournel in St-Estèphe, buying Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley? Then it all fizzled out and the deal never went ahead?
Well he has decided to spread his wings anyway, into the famous Hungarian wine district of Tokaj in the form of Hetszolo (give or take an accent), which he has acquired from the owners of Ch Beychevelle, Grands Millésimes de France. I still find it extraordinary that there is such enthusiastic investment in this sweet wine, however great, when sweet wines are so relatively difficult to sell. Just as well I'm not in the business.
Hetszolo belonged to the Princes of Transylvania, the Princess of Brandenburg and the Rάkόczi Princes. In 1711 the Domaine became Imperial and was controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Crown for nearly two centuries. The adjoining Domaine Lencsés Dülö was recently replanted by Electricité et Eaux de Madagascar and, accoridng to Reybier, 'completes the optimum geographical orientation of the unified vineyard'.
Tibor Kovács, the long-standing director of Hetszolo, will continue at the helm, supported by the Cos d’Estournel management team. (J-G Prats presumably?)
