Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Pinceszet 2007 Pinot Noir

Clear medium-dark garnet color, some pinpoint bubbles form on the glass.

Oak and leather smells, very organic-seeming but clean with no bacterial problems evident.

Oak, cherry, a trace of menthol, ends with food-friendly acid.

This is, I think, my first red from Hungary, and I realize I'm forgiving an oak component that is prominent to a degree which I would not so forgive in a wine from another country, but I remain convinced that the wines of Hungary remain worth exploring and even supporting.

So, bottom-line, this is nice, a good match for a medium-bodied dinner, even if a bit oaky. I matched this with a baked ham dinner and I pronounce it a win!

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Pinceszet 2007 Rajnai Rizling

Bright straw color, pale as water.

Clean-laundry smell, pear and melon, the memory of diesel exhaust.

Dry apple flavor, saline, melon, river-wetted stones. Develops well through the long finish.

Good bottle for $16.50, I admit to prejudice in favor of Hungarian wine, but I don't think that too much colors my review. This is a solid expression of my favorite grape in an unfamiliar terroir.

'Rajnai Rizling' is 'Rhine Riesling'.

Pannonhalmi Apatsagi Pinceszet 2007 Pannonhalmi Tramini

Deep golden color. Petillant bubbles form on the glass.

Smell of lychee, geranium, tropical fruit, baked apple, roses, hints of citrus peel.

Apple flavor, black pepper, peach, some citrus peel bitterness at the end, expected in a quite dry Gewurztraminer. Warm alcohol finish that detracts from perfection, but not terribly.

An excellent bottle for $15.99, my first dry Hungarian wine. This strikes me as very much like an Alsace Gewurztraminer.

The winery's notes on this wine.