There is something about October that makes me express myself in multiple posts. It could be that October is Halloween time and like the famous Halloween movies, you have to have sequels. Many, many sequels. Well today's topic certainly needs it. If you read my blog regularly, you will know that I am a Burgundy Fan Girl. If there was a Comic Con or Dragon Con for Burgundy I would be there dressed up as a bottle of Meursault. So upon hearing that some wine makers in Hungary have adopted the wine making techniques of Burgundy my interest was peaked. I have had nice Hungarian wine before. Most notably a sweet Tokaji Aszu, which was lovely, but certainly very different from Burgundy. Because I am such a Burgundy groupie, I don't take the term Burgundian lightly. It may sound silly, but because of their elevated status in the wine world (and certainly in my own head) that description in a non-Burgundy always induced a fair amount of skepticism in me. However, on paper, Nimrod Winery makes a solid case for themselves. Let's take a look at them before jumping into today's wine.
Hungary has been making wines for a centuries. If you are unfamiliar with Hungarian wine, don't beat yourself up. Between a huge outbreak of grape phylloxera (microscopic aphid-like insects) in the late 1800's, a couple of world wars, and communist policies governing vineyards, Hungarian wine makers have faced some serious obstacles. Today's winery is no exception. Nimrod Wines are from the Kovacs Nimrod Winery in Eger, Hungary (poorly drawn map is not to scale). Hungary has 20+ wine producing areas (Four of the top regions are highlighted on the on the poorly drawn map). Interestingly, it shares the same latitude as Burgundy, Rhone and other famous wine regions. Moreover, the cooler climate in combination with its mineral-rich volcanic soil is perfect for wine grapes. After the fall of Communism, the Kovacs Nimrod winery replanted their vines with appropriate varietals including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Kekfrancos, and Furmint. And today we are going to talk about their Chardonnay!
Let's talk about Nimrod wines 2013 Battonage Chardonnay. The term Battonage refers to an Old World Wine making technique which is common in France (notably with Chardonnay). After fermentation and aging (in this case in oak barrels), dead yeast deposits are carried to the bottom. The dead yeast deposits are known as lees. Lees sounds much better than dead yeast. Most wine drinkers know that yeast is involved in wine making so they shouldn't be squeamish, but still, using the lees to enhance flavor and aroma sounds so much better than dead yeast deposits. Anyway, Battonage is where the wine is aged, and in fact, stirred with the lees. You may have seen the phrase sur lie which translates to on lees. This is the case with our wine today.
After getting through a bit of history, a map, and a wine making discussion, it is time to actually talk about what the wine tastes like! As I said at the beginning, I am often skeptical of the term Burgundian being applied to other wines. However, in this case it is okay. Upon smelling the wine in the glass (and you can ask my husband for verification) the only thing I could say was "ooooooooooooooooh." Followed immediately by a higher inflected "ooooooooooooooooooooooh." It was the familiar smell of white Burgundy (Bourgogne Blanc). Their 2013 Chardonnay has a fatness to the smell that reminded me of buttery, fruity (citrus and apple) goodness. On the palette you get creamy, buttery, minerals with some toasty oak (not bad oak, toasty oak) a touch of fruit (again apple and citrus) and some tart acidity. This is where the lees come into play. They give the wine texture and and that buttery toasted oak flavor and aroma. I don't mean to imply that drinking this wine is like drinking a stick of butter. It definitely isn't, and the acidity helps to balance the creaminess. There is a slight tartness which diminishes with some time in the glass, and this wine has a nice lingering finish.
After my recent post on wine ratings, I should point out that this Chardonnay has met with some positive reviews. It was given 89 points by The Wine Enthusiast. You can check out it's full accolades on Nimrod Winery's website. At $21.90 per bottle, this wine is a good buy. It is difficult to find a nice white Burgundy with that price tag.
I highly recommend this wine. Chardonnay lovers looking to recreate the magic of White Burgundy (the home of Chardonnay) will particularly appreciate it.
So, where can you find it? This wine can be purchased directly from Nimrod Wines on their website nimrodwines.com. Click here for a link to their 2013 Battonage Chardonnay.
Coming soon....Part 2 with 2013 Blues Kekfrankos!
Sample received for review purposes courtesy of Nimrod Wines.
