Pannonhalmi Foapatsag Tricollis White 2019
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Apatsagi’s Tricollis is brisk, crisp and refreshing – a perfect summer wine, and a perfect aperitif. An aromatic dry, fresh wine representing the traditional character of the Pannonhalma wine region.
Blend: 40% Welschriesling, 35% Riesling, 15% Gewürztraminer, and 10% Pinot Blanc
In the ensuing decades, monks living in Pannonhalma did not give up hope of resuscitating their wine-making traditions. Since the fall of Communism, the monks have revived the viticultural traditions and the wineries. In 2000, the abbey repurchased vineyards that had been confiscated and began replanting grape vines in the same year.
The main grape varieties are Rhine Riesling, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and Welshriesling. In addition, they have planted the more international Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. They currently have 52 hectares under vine and the first harvest took place in autumn 2003.
Under the guidance of the well-respected and international winemaker Tibor Gal (he made Ornellaia for many years), all vineyards were replanted and a modern, three tier gravity flow cellar was built. Pannonhalma lies equidistant between Budapest and Vienna and is one of the smallest of Hungary’s 22 wine regions. Topographical conditions resemble those of the upper Loire Valley, Alsace, or Burgundy. Sustainable farming practices are used and the harvest is by hand. The wines produced at Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Pinceszet bear marks of its terroir and reflect its history and authenticity.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Best known for lusciously sweet dessert wines but also home to distinctive dry whites and reds, Hungary is an exciting country at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Mostly flat with a continental climate, Hungary is almost perfectly bisected by the Danube River (known here as the Duna), and contains central Europe’s largest lake, Balaton. Soil types vary throughout the country but some of the best vines, particularly in Tokaj, are planted on mineral-rich, volcanic soil.
Tokaj, Hungary’s most famous wine region, is home to the venerated botrytized sweet wine, Tokaji, produced from a blend of Furmint and Hárslevelű. Dry and semi-dry wines are also made in Tokaj, using the same varieties. Other native white varieties include the relatively aromatic and floral, Irsai Olivér, Cserszegi Fűszeres and Királyleányka, as well as the distinctively smoky and savory, Juhfark. Common red varieties include velvety, Pinot Noir-like Kadarka and juicy, easy-drinking Kékfrankos (known elsewhere as Blaufränkisch).