Bencze Autochthon White 2022 750ml

István on this wine: “The name comes from Greek ‘autokhthon’ which means aboriginal or native. That is why we made this blend exclusively from native varieties of the Carpathian Basin, most of them from our precious ’Templomdombi’ plot.”

Varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kéknyelű, Rószakö

Vineyard: Furmint, Hárslevelű and Kéknyelű come from Templomdombi (planted 2015), Rózsakő from Másfél (planted 2014). Dense basalt with some tuff, sandstone, brown forest soil and clay. All estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified)

Making of: hand harvest, each grape at optimum maturity. 95% of the grapes underwent gentle whole-cluster direct press in a pneumatic press, fermentation and ageing in stoneware vessels for 14 months. 5% whole-cluster fermentation with some juice with daily remontages, for 10 days. For Hárslevelű, 60% was aged in 1500L Slavonian oak and 8% in a small barrel, the rest in different types and sizes of stoneware vessels. The blend was bottled in August of the following year without filtration, fining or added sulfites.

Personality: citrus, pear, salt. Easy-drinking yet entertaining and complex white with distinct freshness.

-Jenny and Francois Selections