Wine of the Weekend

At Villa Sandahl wine estate in volcanic Badacsony wine estate not only winemaking is art but also creating a different line of labels every year. Vintage 2016 labels are impressed by Asia due to a trip of the co-owner. Villa Sandahl Rhine Rieslings are masterpieces, and by now thay have become available in several countries (Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Sweden).

Villa Sandahl has been chosen The Winery of the Year by the Hungarian Sommelier Associacion (in 2020), and its Rhine Rieslings have collected several important accolades during the years, just to mention one: Rabbit Periscope 2017 won 2020 Grand Prix of the Circle of Hungarian Wine Writers.

The estate is obsessed by details: if you check their website, you will be fascinated by the large amount of tiny pieces of information. They tell us everything abou the weather, the harvest, the pressing – there are no secrets. About the blending we can read the following: “The first week in May we organized the assemblage to our 2016 portfolio. It was rather easy and logical to do. The best vineyard fractions we usually bottle separate, and the Genesis high 1st fraction was no exception to this. However, the Bishop Backyard 2 fractions were a bit oddbecause of the harvest panic and the lack of nutrients, and to not risk to spread this uncertainty to other wines, we decided to assemble the two Bishop Backyards fractions into one wine. Further on, the Genesis 2nd fractions were mixed with the remaining 1st fractions into one premium wine. The remaining 2nd fractions were mixed with all vineyard 3rd fractions into one base wine. Totally we got four 2016 wines which will give us totally around 12 000 bottles.“ (Genesis and Bishop Backyards are vineyards.)
Chicken Year (named after the Asian “Year of the Rooster” with a feminine rooster on the label) shows yellow fruit, ripe goosberries, flowers and a hint of perfume on the nose. The palate reveals apple and lemon. Lovely balance between sugar (6.5 g) and acidity (6.8 g). Long and powerful aftertaste.
Order the wine from Villa Sandahl webshop
Find importers / restaurants where Villa Sandahl wines are available