travel

Bock Winery, Villany, Hungary

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While on a recent Danube River cruise through some of the former Iron Curtain countries of eastern Europe, I visited the Bock Winery, which is located near Mohacs (“the mother of wine”), Hungary. It is a tenth-generation family winery that was established in 1850. It spreads out over 125 hectares or about 310 acres.

Bock’s cellars

Bock’s wines are aged in a combination of French, American and Hungarian oak barrels. The use of Hungarian oak introduces a flavour and nose that is slightly different than what would be experienced with most new world wines of Australia, North America or South America. The vintner also uses a combination of both new oak and old oak barrels, depending on the specific wine being produced.

In addition to wine, Bock also produces grape seed oil, grape seed tablets and grape seed flour. This is done to minimize the amount of waste resulting from the wine making process.

While there I had the opportunity to try four of Bock’s wines – a 2023 Villányi Hárslevelú, a 2024 Villányi Rosé Curvée, a 2017 Villányi Bock Curvée, and the 2022 Cabernet Franc.

2023 Villányi Hárslevelú

This is a fresh and fragrant white wine that is produced from a native Hungarian grape variety. It is made using overripe grapes grown on 40-year-old vines in the Göntér vineyard. Its colour is a medium-intensity, straw yellow. The aroma reveals linden blossom, combined with a slight citrus note, which is also reflected in the taste.

2024 Villányi Rosé Curvée

This is a fresh and fragrant wine produced from the virgin must of blue grape varieties from Bock’s vineyards. It has a medium colour with salmon-pink hues. The aroma and taste consist of strawberries, accompanied by satisfying acidity. The wine is enhanced with carbon dioxide before bottling.

2017 Villányi Bock Curvée

2017 Villányi Bock Curvée

This is Bock Winery’s flagship wine, produced from a blend of premium red grapes from several Bock vineyards which produce a full-bodied wine. It is a Bordeaux-type blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (30%) and Merlot (10%) that has developed in new, small oak barrels for 24 months and then in the bottle for an additional year. The wine is characterized by a deep, dark intensity and dark purplish red hue. It is a full-bodied wine, with a scent of ripe cherries and tobacco, and a taste of overripe fruits, chocolate and vanilla.

This was my personal favourite of the wines I sampled.

2022 Cabernet Franc

This is a medium-bodied red wine using grapes from several of Bock’s vineyards. After fermentation, the Cabernet Franc matures in large oak barrels for 12 months to produce a dark, intense, deep red wine with a large body. It has a complex aroma and taste, in which the fruitiness forms a unity with the aromas from the barrel.

Good news for Ontario residents, Bock Wines are periodically available liquor stores.

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Bordeaux’s Sauternes Region

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The final Bordeaux winery visit on our recent trip to France was to Château La Tour Blanche in the Sauternes region. The Sauternes Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée covers approximately 2,000 hectares and includes five communes: Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Sauternes.

La Tour Blanche estate, like most of the Crus Classés of the appellation, is located on a ridge elevating It 60 meters above sea level. This provides good exposure of the vines and better drainage of the land. The terroir provides a gravelly surface and a clay-limestone subsoil, which give a particular character to the wines produced.

The three traditional white grape varieties of the Sauternes Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée vineyard are Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Château La Tour Blanche grows 83% Sémillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle.

Photo credit: tour-blanche.com

The Sémillon grapes provide the structure, give the wine its beautiful Golden colour and its aromas of dried fruits, candied fruits and honey. Sauvignon Blanc produces a very fine, full-bodied, and aromatic wine and creates the beautiful freshness in the blend. The Muscadelle adds to the unique style of the wines, bringing additional aromatic complexity thanks to its delicate scent of muscat grain and its spicy notes.

Like many of the wineries in Bordeaux, Château La Tour Blanche has already taken numerous steps to improve its environmental performance. They have imposed demanding specifications on sustainable development. In recent years, they have introduced waste reprocessing and confined spraying. Château La Tour Blanche is HVE 3 certified (High Environmental Values) and is a member of the first association for the Environmental Management System (EMS) of Bordeaux Wine certified ISO 14001.

The grapes arriving at the winery are botrytized (see my post, Dessert Wines from April 18, 2020), full of sugar. Once selected on the sorting table and pressed, the grapes produce musts in which the action of Noble Rot will have produced a reduction in acidity as well as an increase in sugar content. The average yield does not exceed 10 to 15 hectoliters per hectare at the La Tour Blanche estate, due to strict selection.

Only musts reaching an average of between 20 and 22 degrees of potential alcohol are selected for the 1er Cru Classé. The slightly less concentrated juices will be used to produce the second or third wines.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend and sample any of the wines that day because of an unexpected visit to see a Bordeaux ophthalmologist as a result of a torn retina, which is now repaired. I may have to make a return trip to the region to experience what I missed.

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The Left Bank’s Margaux Appellation

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On my recent excursion to Bordeaux, France, I travelled to the Left Bank’s Margaux appellation where I visited Château Dauzac, which is a Margaux Grand Cru Classé according to the 1855 classification. Their vineyards span 49 hectares.

All the wines utilize gravity-flow vatting. Fermentation takes place in wooden vats with transparent double staves. The wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels (including 65% new barrels) for 15 months with racking based on tasting results.

Dedicated to the expression of terroir and dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Château Dauzac reveals a nicely complex bouquet that slowly unfolds during aeration. On the palate, it strikes a subtle balance between the richness of its tannins and the aromatic diversity of its supple fruits, emblematic of great wines for ageing.

Cabernet Sauvignon dominates with its complexity, elegance and minerality, while Merlot adds roundness and silkiness. Always deep in colour, Château Dauzac expresses a subtle balance where fruits, flowers and spices are combined, with a complex body and tannins ensuring an emotional tasting experience.

Like many of the wineries in the region, Château Dauzac is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. They have formed a partnership with Bioboon Agrology. Together they are working toward the ecological transition of agricultural activities that promote plant health while preserving the surrounding biodiversity.

They have also planted bamboo on the estate. The bamboo acts as an essential carbon sequestration mechanism, offsetting the residual emissions of their carbon-neutral wine. This initiative reduces the environmental impact of the winery’s activities.

Château Dauzac is also investing in research and development to fight against mildew. The aim is to use natural products free of heavy metals to preserve the health of their vines and the balance of the surrounding ecosystem.

The terroir is a clay-based soil that contains deep gravel outcrops. The vines have an average age of 35 to 40 years. The grape varietals consist of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 2% Petit-Verdot. The grapes are harvested by hand in small crates and sorted on tables before and after de-stemming.

The first wine that I sampled at Château Dauzac was the 2021 “Aurore de Dauzac Margaux”, which is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. It is bright red with ruby hues and a nose of red fruit with a slightly floral expression. The flavour displays a pleasant concentration with notes of black fruit.

The second wine I tasted was the 2019 Margaux Grande Cru Classé. Château Dauzac 2019 is a wine that expresses exceptional fruit vibrancy. It is very well-balanced and composed of dense tannins that exhibit finesse and elegance. It consists of a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot.

I was surprised to see how much my wife enjoyed this wine as she usually prefers the Right Bank Merlot concentrated wines over the Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wines. In fact, she enjoyed it so much that we decided to have some shipped home. When making the shipping arrangements we were told that the 2022 vintage would be more superior to the 2019, given the climate conditions that existed that year. The only caveat was that the 2022 would not reach its full potential for another 10 years.

We then decided that we would purchase some of the 2022 vintage as well to ship home. The 2022 wine consists of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37 % Merlot. The overall yield was small due to the lack of water but the remarkable quality will make the 2022 vintage one of the greatest ever experienced in Bordeaux.

I was pleased to learn that Château Dauzac wines are occasionally available in Ontario liquor stores. I will be eagerly awaiting the next vintage to appear on store shelves.

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The Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Appellation

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On the Right Bank, near the village of Bourg, I had the opportunity to visit Chateau Monconseil-Gazin, a third-generation family preserved estate winery owned by the Baudet family. The wines produced are part of the Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux appellation.

The vineyard’s hilly terrain benefits from a microclimate caused by the proximity of the estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The clay-limestone soils rest on a soft rock substrate that is very favorable to the roots of the vines and perfect for drainage.

The 35 hectares of gentle slopes facing south and southwest predominantly grow the Merlot grape variety, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

The first wine that I tasted was the 2023 “Blaye Côtes De Bordeaux”, a white Sauvignon. The vines are cultivated according to the sustainable agriculture charter for the development and protection of the terroir. No chemical fertilizers are used.

The wine consists of 100% Sauvignon Blanc that is aged on fine lees, which are the smaller, more gradual sediment that settles at the bottom of a fermentation vessel after winemaking. The fine lees age with the wine, adding complexity, texture, and flavour. The wine is bottled at the Château.

The terroir is a clay-limestone on stony subsoil, providing excellent drainage and deep roots. The slopes face south-southwest, ensuring optimal maturity of the grapes.

This wine’s aroma contains notes of citrus and flowers and has a smooth crisp palate. The finish is long, fresh and fruity.

The second wine I had was the “Blaye Côtes De Bordeaux – Blanc Prestige”, made of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon. This wine releases an elegant nose of lychee and citrus fruit complemented by a light oakiness. The palate is dense and smooth, with a freshness that lingers through to the finish.

The third wine I sampled was the 2020 “Blaye Côtes De Bordeaux” red. Once again, the vines are cultivated according to the sustainable agriculture charter for the development and protection of the terroir, using no chemical fertilizers.

The wine is produced from 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Malbec grapes. It is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, then blended and lightly filtered before being bottled at the Château.

The terroir is clay-limestone hillsides on a stony subsoil, excellent for drainage and rooting.  The vineyard slopes are south/southwest facing, ensuring optimal maturity of the grapes.

The flavour has hints of woody and toasty accents accompanied by notes of violet, blackberry, crème de cassis, tobacco leaf and sage. There is an abundance of young fruit with tannins and acidity.

This wine has had more than twenty years of recognition by the most prestigious competitions in France and internationally: Mâcon, Paris, Aquitaine, Challenge International du Vin, Brussels and London.

The last wine I tasted was the 2019 “Grande Réserve”, which is made from 50% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine was matured in French oak barrels (50% new) for 18 months, blended and lightly filtered and then bottled at the Château.

This wine offers ripe fruit and notes of mocha, toast and vanilla. The tannins are tight and the flavours are full.

This wine has been recognized by the most prestigious competitions and specialist magazines such as the HACHETTE Guide, the Revue des Vins de France, Decanter and In Vino Veritas.

My wife and I enjoyed this one enough that we purchased a bottle to drink after our day’s explorations. Unfortunately, Chateau Monconseil Gazin wines are not currently available in Ontario liquor stores.

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The Médoc Area of Saint-Émilion

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The first area I explored on my recent trip to France’s Bordeaux region was Médoc, which is situated on the Right Bank. The name Médoc is synonymous with exceptional wines. Considered as one of the world’s leading red wine producers, Médoc has been a winemaking region since the 18th century, with more than 16,000 hectares of vineyards across eight sub-appellations.

In Médoc, which is part of the Saint-Émilion appellation that has over 800 Chateaux, I visited the family-owned winery, Château Fleur Cardinale. The terroir consists of a mix of clay and limestone. Typical of Right Bank wineries, their wines consist of a blend of around 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The blended portions vary slightly from year to year depending on the yield of each grape varietal.

La Maison Cardinale was established in 2001, when Dominique and Florence Decoster acquired Château Fleur Cardinale. In 2017, their son Ludovic and his wife Caroline took the reins of the family estate. In 2024, they created La Maison Cardinale, an entity that brings together Château Fleur Cardinale, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, and Château Croix Cardinale, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.

They have two estates, Château Fleur Cardinale and Château Croix Cardinale. Château Fleur Cardinale covers 27.6 hectares on the northern slope, producing a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé. The northern slope is also ideal to produce Fleur Cardinale white, in the Bordeaux appellation. Château Croix Cardinale covers 4 hectares on the southern slope, producing a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.

While there I had the opportunity to sample 2023 “Cardinal Flower Intuition Saint-Emilion Grand Cru” and the 2019 “Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru”. The Intuition had an intense aromatic profile of ripe black fruits. There were subtle tannins and a supple, fresh texture. The Grand Cru Classé had a sensation of fresh and intense fruit, both on the nose and in the mouth. In my opinion it was much smoother and better balanced than the Cardinal Flower Intuition.

The grapes for both wines are picked by hand. There are about 15,000 bottles of Cardinal Flower Intuition produced each year and 105,000 bottles of the Grand Cru Classé. About 80% of the wine is sold to wine agents for export with the balance being sold from the winery. Unfortunately, Château Fleur Cardinale wines do not appear to be available in Ontario liquor stores.

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My Adventure to Bordeaux

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I recently returned from a trip to the Bordeaux region of France where I took advantage of the opportunity to experience some of the finest wines in the world.

The effects of climate change are impacting the grape harvests there the same as they are in many other parts of the world. The region is facing increasing temperatures and drought conditions each year. Not helping matters is the governing regulation that prohibits vineyards to irrigate vines that are more than 3 years old.

To help try and offset the effects of climate change, I saw horses being used in place of tractors to till the weeds that were growing between the rows of grape vines, lessening the need for herbicides and reducing the generation of carbon monoxide.

The Bordeaux region is separated into 2 distinct areas: the Left Bank and the Right Bank. To help identify which is which, the city of Bordeaux is situated on the Left Bank.

Bordeaux’s wine areas are often categorized into five main zones, primarily based on their location in relation to the Gironde, Garonne, and Dordogne rivers. These zones are: The Médoc, Graves and Sauternais, The Libournais, Blaye and Bourg and Entre-Deux-Mers.  During our trip I visited wineries on both the Left Bank and Right Bank.

The Left Bank, often referred to as the Médoc and Graves, produces red wines, while the Right Bank, including Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, also focuses on red wines. Entre-Deux-Mers produces both red and white wines, and the Graves and Sauternais are known for their sweet white wines.

There are five Bordeaux wine classifications. These classifications serve as an expression of quality and prestige worldwide. The principle of the crus classés (“classified growths”) illustrates the synthesis of a terroir’s typical characteristics and dedicated human intervention over many generations to ensure quality. However, a wine or appellation can still be outstanding even if it is not a part of these classifications. The classifications are listed in order of seniority:

  • The 1855 classification
  • The Graves classification
  • The Saint-Émilion classification
  • The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification
  • The Crus Artisans classification

For a winery in Bordeaux to be referred to as a Château, the property must include a large house, vineyards and a place to make wine.

The age of the vines impacts the quality of the Bordeaux wine. The older the vine, the more expensive the wine. The roots on old vines extend much deeper and extend further int the soil. This adds minerality to the fruit, which in turn adds complexity to the flavour of the wine.

One thing I found interesting on this trip was how the various winery staff pronounced Cabernet Franc. I was always under the impression that Cabernet Franc was pronounced as the French do, with the ‘c’ in Franc being silent – ka·br·nay frong, but I now found out that it is acceptable to pronounce it in English as ka·br·nay frank.

Over the next few weeks I will describe my adventures through the region, as well as the wineries I had the opportunity to experience.

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The Wines of Armenia

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Armenia is a wine region that I was unaware of until I saw an Armenian wine advertised recently in a wine catalogue. That enticed me to do some research and here is what I learned.

The bulk of wine grapes indigenous to Armenia are not very well known in North America. Hindering Armenia’s ability to familiarize the rest of the world with its wines are the ongoing conflicts surrounding its borders. Armenia is situated between Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Armenia’s rivers and high plateaus are surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains.

The country’s wine history is ancient. The region of Vayots Dzor claims to be home to the oldest winery in the world, in operation since some 6,100 years ago.

As with some other Eastern European countries, the progression of Armenian wine ended when the Soviet Red Army invaded in 1920. In 1922 the country was merged into the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. Then, in 1936 it became the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic or Soviet Armenia.

Innovation stopped with the elimination of private enterprise. The Soviets converted wineries into processing plants and vineyards turned over fruit for brandy distillation or bulk wine production.  Some vineyards were planted in unfavorable locations, while others went neglected or abandoned.

In 1991, after the demise of the Soviet Union, Armenia regained its sovereignty. Young Armenians and those with investment money began to embrace the region’s ancient wine-making techniques and wine culture. As a result, Armenia has become the youngest oldest wine industry in the world.

During the Soviet years a great deal of information was lost, including knowledge of the traits of many indigenous grape varieties, understanding soil suitability, sun preference, as well as how much maceration and aging of the grapes is best. Regaining this knowledge requires years of experimentation.

A few producers work with international grapes mainly for the Russian and other former Soviet republic markets. However, new quality-driven wineries focus on local varieties. Much of the post Soviet revival has included using a combination of modern technology and traditional techniques, such as aging the wine in terracotta jars called karasi.

The drive to produce quality wines has helped winemakers find export partners. Being a landlocked country, Armenia cannot produce low-cost wines. It must become part of the higher-priced market segment.

Armenia contains four main wine regions. The best known is the south-central region of Vayots Dzor, a long, narrow plateau which stands out for its highest elevation vineyards, some which reach almost 6,000 feet above sea level.

The Aragatsotn region is situated at slightly lower elevation. The remaining regions include Ararat, which is located on a sunny plateau, and Armavir, which is a mountainous area in the southwest.

Grape varietals include Areni Noir, which produces medium-bodied red wines with fruits like cherry and strawberry laced with black pepper aromas. It compares in its freshness, silkiness and transparency to Pinot Noir.

Voskehat is Armenia’s signature white grape. The wine has light to medium body. It has floral and stone fruit aromas with notes of herbs and citrus.

Khndoghni, or Sireni, is a red grape that gives black fruit flavors, deep colour, good tannins and the potential to age.

To sum it up, Armenia is small, landlocked and poor. However, it appears to have resilience, an ability to adapt, and a desire to show the world its world-class wines. Many experts feel that there is a future for quality Armenian wines.

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