The Auswine Forum

This year I thought to offer the taste of some good Pinot Noirs from my cellar in Hungary. The risk I took was quite substantial as Australian Pinot Noir is hardly famous. As a precaution, “to be saved from possible disaster” I included a few NZ examples as well as a good Burgundy and local vintages thrown in for good measure.

The tasting was held on 5th July 2004 in the Pincemester wine club of Szombathely, (St.Martin) in Western Hungary. On this photo IÂ’m wearing a NZ T-shirt as I was certain that a Kiwi wine would be the most successful at the tasting, but it was not so.


After the tasting with the happy participants


I invited winemaker Zsolt Tiffán (the son of HungaryÂ’s famous winemaker Ede Tiffán) to attend this tasting with his excellent Pinot Noirs. He brought 3 different vintages of the excellent Várerdő (Fortress forest) single vineyard Pinot Noir to compare. The Várerdő is thought to be the best and most expensive wine of this variety in Hungary. Each vintage only 5000 bottles are made from the 2 hectares. ItÂ’s planted to the German Marienfelder 2. clone. The vineyard is very young, 2000 was their first vintage and it became an instant success. These wines are hard to find even in Hungary.

[b]2002 TIFFÃ

Great read Attila

I have found Palliser Estate pinot vintages overtly hot up until the 98.

Great on release; raw and youthful pinot in the nicest way. After a year or two the heat began to show.

Hi Jamie,
That alcoholic hotness you refer to was present in the wine. As it only appears after some time (according to your observation), I wonder if it can also disappear say after 6 or more years of cellaring.
Did anyone have a reasonably aged Palliser recently to respont to this theory?
Cheers,
Attila

Can't help you Attila.

I put the Palliser down as pinot to be drunk when very young and primary.

Did not think outside of the square to see if all would balance in time!

I must revisit!