Four of us gathered for lunch in Sydney, Australia to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against Soviet rule. The events of those days are very important for me as both my grandparents joined the uprising, albeit on opposite sides. I was 14 years old when I noticed their strange behaviour at our yearly family lunches. When eating, one of them always stood. They ate at different times. For the sake of the family peace they didn’t say anything upsetting to each other but would NOT sit at the same table. One was the hero of the Communist government, the other a traitor. Now, their roles are reversed. The freedom fighter became a hero and the communist a disgraced oppressor. They both died long time ago but the legend of 1956 lives on. If you want to know more about those times, rent the action love story, “Children Of Glory†on DVD:
http://www.szabadsagszerelemafilm.hu/page.php?page=tortenet&l=en
Now to the wines. More than 10 bottles were opened, here are some of the highlights:
VOUETTE & SORBÉE Fidéle Extra Brut Champagne-France
Made with Pinot Noir grapes from the 2009 vintage. Complex and delicious with delicious characteristics and great drinkability. Nice grip and savoury finish. Lovely.
93 points. AU$ 90.00
JACQUART Brut de Nominée Champagne-France
Base wine is from 1996. Beautifully complex and creamy. Soft with tiny bubbles. Lovely long finish. Delicious.
93 points. AU$ 90.00
CÉDRIC BOUCHARD Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Champagne-France
Made with 100% organic Pinot Noir grapes. Disgorged April 2010.
Tremendous intensity, power and length. Mile long finish. Seriously built unsweetened champers. Excellent with food.
94 points. AU$ 100.00
2010 FRANCOIS PINON Silex Noir Vouvray-France
Stunning Chenin Blanc with incredible focus and length. Superb structure and great drinkability. Beautiful fruit definition and fine balance. Love it.
94 points. AU$ 35.00
1998 GYÖRGYKOVÃÂCS IMRE Somló Hárslevelű –Hungary
Remarkable 14 years old dry white from the best producer in Somló. No hint of tiredness, beautifully balanced, full flavoured Hárslevelű with amazing mineral complexity and length. Brilliant! Wine of the day!
96 points. Not Available
If you want to find out more about the region, visit the bilingual site of the Somló Wine Shop on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/somloiborokboltja?fref=ts
1997 LINDEMANS Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet-Australia
Very intense 15 years old red. Savoury and focussed with ripe fruit and nice balance. Still has years ahead but the finish is slightly short.
92 points. Not widely available - around $50 at auction
2010 WENDOUREE Shiraz-Australia
Concentrated and savoury with tremendous length. Very clever use of oak. Power and integrity. Beautiful old vines fruit. Will cellar forever.
95 points. AU $55
2008 VERITAS WINERY Rolf Binder’s Bulls Blood-Australia
Made from Barossa Shiraz and Mataro. Fragrant with rich and ripe sweet fruit with excellent earthy grip. Exciting and satisfying. The Binder family is of Hungarian origin hence “Bull’s Bloodâ€Â.
94 points. AU$ 45.00
2007 SZEPSY Tokaji Cuvée-Hungary
Beautifully fragrant and enticing nose. Golden, sweetly decadent palate with a short finish. Nice and delicious but greater length would have made it superb.
93 points. AU $50
Of course we had a shotglass of Hungarian sour cherry pálinka before we went our ways.
Cheers,
Attila
