Furmint and Hárslevelű are the two grapes Tokaj is built on, and they are natural partners: Furmint brings ferocious acidity and a stony cut, Hárslevelű a linden-blossom perfume and softer weight. Blended and vinified dry, they produce one of the most underrated white wines in Europe.

Gergő Filep founded this small estate with his father Miklós in 2013. Gergő trained at Corvinus University in Budapest and worked as head winemaker elsewhere in Tokaj before starting on his own account; Miklós is a professor of biology and geology, which in a region defined by its rocks is less of a coincidence than it sounds.

They farm two hectares near the villages of Tállya and Rátka, on volcanic hills that give a genuinely wide range of soils — volcanic stone mixed through clay and loess. Their focus is entirely on dry wine that shows the site rather than residual sugar, with fermentation and maturation in used oak casks and extended ageing for complexity.

The result is rich and layered but driven by brilliant acidity, with the freshness and minerality those volcanic soils reliably deliver.

Drink it with: roast chicken, pork, river fish, creamy sauces, soft cheese, or lightly spiced dishes.

Details

• Producer: Filep
• Region: Tokaj, Hungary
• Grapes: Furmint, Hárslevelű
• Vintage: 2023
• Bottle size: 750ml