Jammertal Wine Estate, Villány

At the prestigious Gilbert & Gaillard International Wine Challenge 2023 Jammertal Wine Estate achieved another brilliant result: 3 of their wines received not only gold, but double gold medlas. Wherever this estate enters wines, it pours gold rain like cats and dogs.

Bordeaux blends from the Hungarian Mediterranean region

The southernmost wine region of Hungary has an ideal climate for the Bordeaux varieties. Jammertal Wine Estate and its winemaker, Zsófia Kövesdi loves playing with the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc and Merlot in their wines and this game is quite rewarding – as this and many other examples prove.
Until 30 November midnight, a 6 pack is available with 24% discount, which means that for two bottles of the three double gold winner wines each, customers should pay only 82 000 HUF / 217 EUR (instead of 108 000 HUF / 286 EUR).
Order now and you will receive the wines until 15 December. For shipping abroad contact the winery. The price may vary due to the actual exchange rates.

Gilbert & Gaillard comments about the wines

Koh-I-Noor 105.6 2017

Merlot (50 %), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Cabernet Franc (20%)
“Moderately sustained colour with garnet hues. Nose dominated by undergrowth (bark, moss, mushroom), ashy wood, and jammy wild berries. Refined on the palate, with well-integrated tannins. Elegant structure, ripe fruit. Balanced quality.” (92 points)
Would you like to know the reason for the number in the name of the wine? Zsófia Kövesdi will tell you!

Cassiopeia MCS*Achird 2018

Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (20%)
“Light red with garnet reflections. Smoky woody nose, elegant ashy tones, notes of jammy fruit and dominant scents of undergrowth. Well-rounded on the palate, with well-integrated tannins. Moderate concentration and smooth ageing offer welcome suppleness.” (91 points)

Jammertal Blue Sky 2020

Cabernet Franc (95%), Merlot (5%)
“Fairly deep red with dark ruby hues. Delicately woody, vanilla and smoky on the nose, with a lovely display of ripe fruit(cherry, blackcurrant). Open, aromatic and powerful on the palate, with generous body, wood and soothing tannins. Promising future.” (90 points)

More about Jammertal Wine Estate

Read our earlier article about Zsófia Kövesdi’s great acknowledgement:

Zsófia of Jammertal: Female Winemaker of the Year!

Read our earlier article about four 90+ Jammertal wines on WineAdvocate.com 

Quadruple Jammertal success on WineAdvocate.com

Around 200 memorable wines to taste

The air of glamorous 5 star Corinthia Hotel will be filled with seductive scent of top red wines on this Saturday. Besides the 150 wines poured by the exhibitors – like Taschner from Sopron, Lajver from Szekszárd, Tűzkő from Tolna just to mention a few –, there will be a hall dedicated to around 50 flagship wines like Jammertal Cassiopeia Merlot – Cabernet Franc, Koch Premium Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 or Gere Kopar magnum. Early bird tickets are available until 3 November!

Bordói November

(‘bordói’ means from Bordeaux)
Time and date: 25 November, 14.00–21.00
Venue: Corinthia Hotel, Budapest, Erzsébet krt 43–47., Hungary
Tickets at the venue: 16 900 HUF / 44 euros
Early bird, pre-purchased tickets before 3 November: 13 900 HUF / 36 euros
Order your ticket here
More information 

The summer season is not abundant in wine contest results, however the results of the second edition of the international Winelovers Wine Awards have been released recently. Holdvölgy (Tokaj), Pannonhalma Archabbey (Pannonhalma), Jammertal Wine Estate (Villány), Babarczi Vineyard and Winery (also from Pannonhalma) are some of the gold winners – with some extra.

The wine competition, held for the second time in July 2023, attracted wines from 14 countries. The jury comprising 65 wine experts and winemakers represented 19 countries and included several Masters of Wine and one Master Sommelier evaluating 839 wines.

I (Ágnes Németh, the editor of Hungarianwines.eu) was also involved in this international wine contest organized in Budapest for the second time. My duty was to invite and take care of the foreign jury members. I hope I have done my job well and they had an unforgettable experience.
The list of jury members can be seen here.
See the full list of results here.

Holdvölgy in Mád, the pearl of Tokaj

Last year Holdvölgy achieved the highest score for white wine at the first edition of WWA, and now again we can see the estate on the top of the chart with two wines! (This year Pajzos Tokaj and Trifecta wineries got 96 points and Holdvölgy 95 points). The Mád (Tokaj) estate has been impressing jury members across the globe with their super elegant Tokaji Aszú wines and also with their dry Tokaj wines.

More about Holdvölgy Culture Aszú 2010 (95 points)
More about Expression Hárslevelű 2019 (90 points)

The “infusion” you would not refuse – Pannonhalma Archabbey

The historic estate of Pannonhalma has also received not only one, but two gold medals, one for the legendary Infusion red blend, and another for the white blend called Prior. The double success proves again the versatility of Pannonhalma wine region and the potential for producing world class wines made of international grape varieties – Infusio is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon while Prior is a Rhine Riesling selection.

More about Infusio 2020 (91 points) 
More about Prior (90 points) (The link leads to the current vintage 2021, the gold winner was 2020.)

Not one, not two – 5 gold for Jammertal in Villány!

High Parker points, Winemaker of the Year by Selection.de – just some of the most recent acknowledgements, but Jammertal team never stops. Zsófia Kövesdi, the young, talented female winemaker won a gold medal for “her every finger”:

Ars Poetica Syrah 2021 (91 points, Best Syrah)
Ars Poetica Pinot Noir 2020 (91 points, Best Pinot Noir)
More about Villányi Jammertal Grand Cuvée 2019 (90 points)
More about Villányi Jammertal Blue Sky 2020 (90 points)
Jammertal Villányi Merlot 2019 (90 points)

“I know my wine is good” – Babarczi Merlot from Pannonhalma

Last year Babarczi Vineyard and Winery entered Marianum Cabernet Franc at this contest and it did not receive gold medal, even though Marianum has collected several trophies from international contests. Zsuzsanna Babarczi, the manager of the winery could not believe her eyes, but she gave another try and her perseverance was rewarding. And, what is interesting – another red medal for Pannonhalma wine region (see Pannonhalma Archabbey above). Babarczi Marianum missed gold only with one point this year

More about Babarczi Merlot 2020 (90 points)

Watch a short viedo about the contest and its side events

Boat tasting with Babarczi, Etyeki Kúria, Holdvölgy, Jammertal, Sauska and others

Unlimited tasting on board, 2 hours’ boating with gorgeous view, good company – Winelovers River Nighton 27 July in Budapest.

Standard ticket: 16 900 HUF / 45 euros
Tickets contain unlimited tasting of the wines (see list below) and a bottle of Winelovers Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Standard VIP ticket contains a 3 course dinner and extra drinks (only available in the VIP section), price: 27 900 HUF / 74-75 euros
Premium VIP ticket contains a 4 course dinner and extra drinks (only available in the VIP section), price: 35 900 HUF / 96-97 euros
Order your tickets her
Departure: 18.30, 27 July, Vigadó square, Budapest
Vessel: Budapest event boat
Wines to taste: see below

Selection-online.de wine contest of women winemakers

Zsófia Kövesdi has won the prestigious title Female Winemaker of the Year 2023 by Selection-online.de German online wine publication. On what principles was she been evaluated? In a very simple way: through the wines she made. Because the selecting process is in fact a wine contest for female wine producers. Around 40 winemakers submitted their wines to the contest, and the wines were judged on 7-9 March (because of the International Women’s Day). You can see the top 10 position here, with Zsófia, the winemaker of Villány Jammertal Wine Estate in the No1 position!

Golden rain on the good girl

The only condition of participation was to enter wines to the contest. Well, Jammertal entered 6 wines, and what happened? They received 6 gold medals, including a “top gold”. Do you know the fairy tale of Grimm brothers called Mother Holle? The good, industrious girl receives golden rain at the end as a reward. Zsófia also deserves the golden rain, she studied and worked hard in several countries, and at Jammertal she has every opportunity to make great wines: top quality vineyards, state-of-the-art facilities and a great team.

Jammertal wines entered Selection-online.de contest

Ars Poetica Chardonnay 2020, gold, 88 points
Ars Poetica Pinot Noir 2020, gold, 88 points
Jammertal Blue Sky 2020, gold, 92 points
Ars Poetica Syrah 2021, gold, 92 points
Koh-I-Noor Merlot 2019, gold, 89 points
Koh-I-Noor 105.6 Cuvée 2019, top gold, 93 points

Problems? Challenges!

Selection-online.de made an interview with Zsófia, from which we can get to know a little about her personality. “The most important factor, however, is market demand, which sometimes ties my hands,” she says. “Fortunately, I consider it a challenge and not a problem,” Zsófia Kövesdi adds. Considering all these factors, she intends to respect tradition, expressing terroir and power in her reds of Bordeaux varietes, but also giving them a little cheeky new-world style. “That means these wines retain structure and style, yet are full of energy and freshness.”

Read the original interview (in German) here

More about Jammertal Wine Estate

Our latest article with Jammertal Parker points

Quadruple Jammertal success on WineAdvocate.com

 

 

Ours was the 2nd most represented country

We are aware of the fact that this is not something like the legendary Paris Judgment, and certainly Hungary represented less than 10% of the wines. Yet it is great feedback that our Cabernet Franc wines – namely Villányi Franc wines – can meet international standards as well.

From 4 countries 78 wines entered a recent Cabernet Franc competition organized by California Wines and Wineries. Obviously, US was the most represented country with wines from 7 states (California, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington). Which is not obvious at all is that Hungary was the second most represented country behind the US, thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Smith wine writer and jury member of the contest. She participated in the last edition of Franc & Franc conference in Villány, Hungary and she worked hard to recruit Hungarian entries. Hungary was the second most represented country behind the US with 7 entries. Wines were tasted in 6 categories. Though the winner of the international category was an Italian wine (2017 Corti Brothers), Hungary won the most medals in this category with 1 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze.

Hungarian (Villány) medal winners

– Rejiji Villányi Franc Kopár Vineyard Villány 2017 (Super Premium) – Gold
100% Cabernet Franc
– Gere Villányi Franc Ördögárok Dűlő(Vineyard) Villány 2018 (Super Premium) – Silver
100% Cabernet Franc
– Chateau Teleki Villányi Franc Villány 2019 (Premium) – Silver
100% Cabernet Franc
– Jammertal KOH-I-NOOR 105.6 Villány 2018 – Silver
Cabernet Franc 96%, Merlot 2%, Syrah 2%
– Jammertal KOH-I-NOOR 105.6 Villány 2019 – Silver
Cabernet Franc 98%, Merlot 2%
– Jammertal Cassiopeia CF*CIH Villány 2017 – Silver
92% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot
– Bakonyi Péter Villányi Cabernet Franc 2020 (Classic) – Bronze
100% Cabernet Franc
Just one comment to this last wine: I (Ágnes Németh, editor of Hungarianwines.eu) personally really like this wine, very elegant, ethereal, fruit driven. Due to its featherlight character, it might shine less among more aged, more full bodied wines. Yet I recommend to taste it!

Judges of the contest

• Tom Bender, head judge. Tom has led California Sierra Foothill Competition for over 35 years, served as a California State Fair judge, and also is a wine writer and instructor at a local college
• Tana Cole, winemaker at Jessie’s Grove in Lodi, California
• Fran Cunniffe, DipWSET and Certified Sommelier
• Jim Denham, proprietor of The Wine Steward, former winemaker and educator
• Mike Dunne, retired food editor, wine columnist for the Sacramento Bee, distinguished judge at San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
• Debbie Miller, WSET 2 with distinction, wine steward at the Tipsy Frog in Copperopolis, California.
• Dr. Elizabeth Smith, WSET 3, wine writer, copywriter for Naked Wines USA

Read more about the contest by the chief organizer, Michael Kelly here

Villány estate Jammertal boasts with four 90+ wine reviews on WineAdvocate.com – the three of them in the cover photo are available –, the influential wine website founded by Robert Parker. Importers, attention: the wines are not imported to the United States yet. Good news: all the three wines have very long ageing potential according to Mark Squires, the wine expert who has written the reviews.

“It will age gracefully”

2017 Jammertal Wine Estate Koh-I-Noor Cabernet Sauvignon
92 points
“Sensually textured with velvet, it is also tighton the finish, showing both lingering red fruits and some grippingpower. It is dry and serious, never jammy. It’s not too astringent, but this is not fully ready either. It has plenty of concentration to go with its ripe but never bombastic fruit. It seems like a beautiful package today, although one that will certainly benefit from another couple of years of age. It should age gracefully into the 2030s, granting that I have little track record with these, so there is no rush to dive in. You can drink it today if you wish, but that is probably a mistake without extended aeration.”
More about the wine

“Polished and attractive“

2015 Jammertal Wine Estate Cassiopeia CF (Cabernet Franc)
90 points
“Beautifully textured and very elegant, this is bright and fresh with some firmness on the finish. The typical herbs fight with the vanilla from the wood. There’s a bit too much wood impact overall, but this is still polished and attractive. The extra few years in bottle have done it a lot of good and allowed it to pull in some of the wood, making that far less of a distraction. Then, you can focus on the velvety texture. It’s worth leaning up for the moment, even while wishing there was a bit less vanilla. This is likely to hold well throughout the decade, maybe longer.“

More about the wine

“Finesse and precision”

2015 Jammertal Wine Estate Cassiopeia MCF * CAPH (84% Merlot & 16% Cabernet Franc)
90 points
“…there are extra years of bottle age, this shows pretty well and manages not to be overwhelmed by the wood. The rest is superb. As with its Cassiopeia siblings in this report, this MCF has reasonable mid-palate finesse and precision, a backbone and admirable structure overall. The texture here is sensual, too, with a velvety and caressing overlay. This seems young and poised to age very well, at least another decade. It can be drunk now, but you might want to give it another year or so if you can. It might still improve more.”
More about the wine

“Elegant and restrained“

2019 Jammertal Wine Estate Koh-I-Noor Merlot
91 points

“Elegant and restrained, this is a wine that, like its Koh-I-Noor siblings in this report, needs a little more time,probably more than the winery is contemplating. It shows hints of a classic flavor profile, impressive structure, precision and fine mid-palate finesse. It needs to come together, become more harmonious and evolve. This looks like it has a great chance to do so, but as with its siblings, this is all about the potential today. Let’s start here, recognizing that it has a good chance to improve.”
(This wine is not released yet.)

More about Jammertal Wine Estate

Winelovers Grand

1st April is also known as April Fools’ Day. Well, those, who taste all the 700 wines from the 100 winery exhibitors will get close to being fool for sure, but the goal is to taste cleverly and to learn. The annual Winelovers Grand event ensures professional tasting circumstances in the spacious halls of 5 star Corinthia Hotel Budapest and provides masterclasses, pop up lectures as well. Tickets are available with a special discount until 19 February.

Cool wines, cool faces

The largest indoor tasting takes place on the 18th February at Budapest Congress Centre. The 13th edition will feature more than 200 wineries with more than 1000 wines. And the atmosphere – as always – relaxed and friendly. This is not a posh wine event, if you do not spit every drop nobody will despise you. This is more of a great party where the hosts are smiling winemakers ready to tell their best stories about their wines.

 

Date and time: 18 February 2023, 15.00–21.00
Venue: Budapest Congress Centre, Budapest, Jagelló rd 1–3, Hungary
Price: 13 900 HUF / person (38–39 euros)
Tickets here – in Hungarian, but you will get along, click on “Jövök” (meaning “I will participate”)
Exhibitors: wineries from all over Hungary, both big names and young talents to discover. In our cover photo from up left:

Babarczi Vineyard and Winery (Pannonhalma), Borbély Family Winery (Badacsony), Csányi Winery / Teleki (Villány), Dominium Winery (Mátra), Feind Winery (Balatonfüred), Jammertal Wine Estate (Villány), Lajver Wine House (Szekszárd), Steigler Cellar (Sopron) – and at least 192 more…

See the faces of the 200 exhibitors here (click “Következő”, meaning “Next” at the bottom to see the next page)

 

Importer of the Month: Tomasz Witkowski

“Polak-Węgier – dwa bratanki” – “Poles and Hungarians are two good friends” as the saying goes and indeed, citizens of these two nations have always been close to each other. When the war in Ukraine broke out, the reaction of the Hungarian government ignited some negative comments in Poland towards Hungarians, but thanks God most of our Polish friends know very well that we are not equal with the leader of our country. And Tomasz Witkowski, this passionate wine importer raises our friendship to a new level: the shop and webshop he manages offers the widest selection of Hungarian wines in Poland. And the name of the shop? “2Bratanki“, of course! The webshop has just been launched, so, Polish winelovers, a whole new world has opened for you!

Cover photo: Tomasz Witkowski and Ágnes Németh (writer of this article) in Villány in 2021