Ratings

Bott Frigyes

The Nitra region has a tight connection to Hungary. What can be explained by history can also be seen on the labels of Nitran wineries.

Bott Frigyes is located on the banks of the Danube River, across which lies Hungary. Their vineyards are located further to the East, where Hron River (Bott Rigyes uses its Hungarian name - Garam) falls into the Danube. Approximately 10 hectares of vineyards spread out on the Hill of Muzsla, 250 meters above sea level. A natural triangle formed by two rivers and the hill offers volcanic clay soils; rich in limestone and minerals.

The winery works with Rhine Riesling and Pinot Noir. But they put emphasis on local grapes, such as Furmint, Hárslevelű (Lipovina in Slovakia), Olaszrizling, Juhfark, Kékfrankos and Kadarka (cuttings are incidentally from Balla Géza in Romania, who is also ethnically Hungarian).

The winemaking is structured in terms of technique, although all fermentations are native. There's zero temperature control, longer lees ageing, natural settling, all oak barrels (some amphora), and bottling unfined and unfiltered with a small amount of SO2 at bottling as the only addition.

For the reds, they use the "Hamburger" method: a layer of foot-stomped whole cluster, then a layer of whole cluster, then a layer of destemmed and hand-crushed grapes. This achieves a semi-carbonic quality to the wines without developing too much of the banana or bubble gum often associated with carbonic. For the skin contact whites, it's often no more than a week, and they are careful to keep it worked over to prevent VA and other flaws. The winemaking overall is tied to tradition but with a nod to modern hygiene in the cellar.