2014 Homonna Tokaji Furmint-Hárslevelű

Homonna

Hungary / Tokaj / Homonna

Meticulous handwork, low yields and the avoidance of chemical sprays are the key features of Attila Homonna’s vineyard practices. Harvest time depends on finding the state of ripeness that brings the right balance between acidity and sugar, which results in perky acidity and lower alcohol levels (12-13%) in the wine.
The destemmed and crushed grapes are immediately and very gently pressed in a basket press and racked into used 500-litre and 225-litre barrels where fermentation takes place spontaneously. Elevage takes between eight and 11 months. The main principle behind Attila’s winemaking is to transport the characteristics of Furmint and Hárslevelű in their purest form based on the origin of the grapes. The wines clearly express the salty mineral taste and lively acidity of volcanic soil.

April, 2016

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

93 points

Snuffed candle, rock pools, cheese, fresh grated nutmeg, white fleshed fruit, a whisper of pepper, something slightly green and fragrant like crushed leaves and fennel. Medium bodied, intense and briny, firm crunch of acidity that cuts the same way a manzanilla sherry might, only more lemony and bracing. Such a dry feel here, almost like salted almonds, with an aftertaste of apples coated in lemon juice. Better served at cellar temperature. Fascinating. And great to drink too.

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About Homonna

CellarHand was introduced to the wines of Attila Homonna by Roland Velich, the Blaufränkisch maestro behind Moric in Austria's Mittelburgenland. Attila set his little enterprise up in the village of Erdőbénye in 1999 in a quest to make world-class dry white wines from the indigenous grape varieties Furmint and Hárslevelű, hitherto better known for producing some of the world's finest sweet wines. Attila farms three hectares in the Határi, Csáky and Rány vineyards in the villages of Erdőbénye and Olaszliszka. He specifically searched out old vineyards planted with old clones of these two indigenous grapes. His vines yield small, loose-berried bunches which are capable of delivering great complexity and intensity.

About

Attila Homonna's curious, ever-searching nature led him to leave behind the world of marketing and advertising in order to make wine. He was among the pioneers producing serious dry wines from the Furmint and Hárslevelű grape varieties. His is a small boutique winery with a capacity of 50 hectolitres and producing only between 3,000 and 5,000 bottles of wine a year. Attila tries to integrate innovative ideas into the traditional practices of the craft, and offer something more than just traditional Tokaj wine. The wines are all fermented and aged in barrels until Attila decides that is time to bottle them.