It is one thirty in the
afternoon. I am ensconced
in the subterranean cellar at Halasi Pince where the winery’s restaurant is located.
I have just finished
tasting two wines upstairs in the tasting room. Since I am having difficulty feeling
my nose, I figure it would be a good time to eat some food.
My two wines were a
Halasi Harslevelu 2011 and a Halasi Chardonnay 2009. I have tasted both wines throughout
Hungary. The variation of
flavors is interesting.
Whereas most harslevelu
wines are usually almost clear in color and have a light interesting flavor, this one
was light amber in color, reminiscent of a Tokaj. The flavor was sweet and could have
easily been compared to a lighter Tokaj. It
reminds me of the saying ‘life is short eat dessert first.’ It is truly a tasty dessert wine. This sweet
taste and color could have only been obtained by leaving the grapes on the vine
till they began to shrivel. This
increased the sugar content.
The second wine was a
2009 Chardonnay in oak. The year 2009
was the best Hungarian harvest in recent history. This wine lived up to the reputation
of the year. Light honey color.
Bouquet of white peach. A
delicate bouquet that a perfumery would love to be able to duplicate.
Flavor of oaked Chardonnay grape, the wine slowly fades to
dry. However, the flavor of
ripe peach lingers.
I asked the wine
steward before I went downstairs to eat to choose between the two wines I was
considering having with lunch. One was their gold medal 2012 winner cuvée. The other was a 2009 cuvée. Both were the same price - six dollars
for a deciliter. He
recommended the 2009 cuvee. Cuvee in
Hungarian wine terms simply means a blend of varietals.
For lunch I put myself
in the waiter’s hands, which I often do if the waiter is friendly. He recommended his favorite soup and entree.
The soup came in a
large soup plate, empty except for a small round of chicken livers perched atop
chopped shallots. The
waiter then produced a porcelain tea or coffee pot, about a pint in volume, and
proceeded to slowly pour a lightly spiced creamy tomato-based bisque into the
plate. The liquid slowly
surrounded the livers and then submerged them.
What a presentation! Had I
known what was coming, I would certainly have videoed it.
Next came the entree on
a plate at least sixteen inches square. It was a beef rib about two inches
thick, roasted rare to perfection. The
plate decoration itself was a work of art. I told the waiter that it should be
hanging on the wall. My photo does not
do it justice.
Now for the wine. The Halasi 2009 cuvee would hold its
own easily with a fine Bordeaux. The
first sniff of the bouquet said to me this could be a fine example of one of
Pommerol’s best years. The harmonious
blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc was exquisite. Even the light reflecting off the surface of
the wine said ‘fine French wine.’
The merlot bouquet was
at its sophisticated best. I will
remember the depth of flavor and silky texture of this wine well into the
future. It was finely structured, not
one rough edge.
I had read a
TripAdvisor review of the restaurant before I went. One reviewer had commented about the panna
cotta. She said that alone would be
worth returning to Villany.
A dollop of rich creamy
yoghurt-based ice and another dollop of fume of mint adorned the top along with
a few currants. Beneath the ice cream
and mint fume was a layer of dense raspberry coulis and beneath that was the
panna cotta. This one was a rich
raspberry cream set with gelatin.
I am beginning to
understand why that reviewer would return to Villany for one of these.
Lunch ex gratuity for
the wines, entrée, and dessert totaled $40.
It’s one of the finest meals I can recall eating..
No comments:
Post a Comment