Balassa Tokaji Furmint Betsek 2024

The Betsek Furmint cuvée originates from the prestigious Betsek terroir in the Tokaj region. The Furmint grape variety is grown there on the volcanic slopes of Mád. This unique terroir is based on soils composed of rhyolitic tuffs and mineral-rich clays , giving the wine a marked minerality and remarkable aromatic depth.

After a completely manual harvest, the vinification of the wine is based on natural fermentation in barrels, followed by aging on fine lees for around 8 months , without excessive stirring, in order to preserve the energy and tension of the wine.

This wine reveals notes of peach, apricot, pear, plum, beeswax, honeysuckle, lemon peel, sea salt and flint . On the palate, we are seduced by a dense, but linear texture, carried by a persistent salinity and noble bitters .

It was the Romans who planted the first vines at a time when the Country was part of a region called Pannonia. It was at the dawn of the 18th century that Hungary, united with Austria, ensured the export of its most famous wine throughout Europe: Tokaj (from the Furmint grape variety). As throughout Europe, in the 19th century, viticulture was destroyed by phylloxera. During the communist period, vineyards were managed in cooperatives which guaranteed a stable income for wine producers. Quite a few small winegrowers were unable to keep up with this growing economy, so the Hungarian vineyard was restructured, losing 30% of its surface area in the process. Nowadays, many family estates have emerged, some of which produce wines of incredible quality. As everywhere in Europe, viticulture is in decline as part of the European restructuring plan for the wine industry. Hungary, which is at the same latitude as Burgundy, has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The rainfall is sufficient for non-irrigated viticulture and the soils are heterogeneous and of high quality depending on the region. With around a hundred indigenous and international grape varieties, the country has good varietal diversity. The fürmint and the hárslevelű from the Tokaj region, vinified dry and at the origin of the great sweet wines of Tokaj, are undoubtedly the best-known varieties today. The most widely planted grape variety is Olaszrizling for whites and Kékfrankos for reds. International grape varieties, mainly Bordeaux grape varieties, flourish in particular in the south of the country where they produce high-class wines.