BENCZE BIRTOK🌋

Source note: This post is adapted from Parched's August 4, 2026 newsletter

Hello,

How are we all doing? I'm still gutted from the news of the passing of Emidio Pepe late last week. One of the wine world's true greats, Mr Montepulciano himself. What he did for Italian wine, and the gastronomy of Italy as a whole, is unrivalled. Thoughts go out to the whole Pepe family. I'm absolutely certain the ship is in very steady hands with Chiara and co, and the legacy will continue to be at the forefront of Italian culture.

Onto some more positive news, and we welcome a hefty restock from a producer I adore. Working the volcanic soils of Lake Balaton, István has been making wines since 2012. The output is a very singular body of work, but you can tell he has been inspired by the old world's very best. A trip to Styria proved profound enough for him to eschew sulphur altogether. His planting of Chenin too shows his deep love for the Loire. Yet, he still manages to pay respect to the local varieties and winemaking history in Hungary.

He makes wines that I like to drink, to think about, to cellar and to enjoy at all stages of their development. Not many tick all those boxes. He picks meticulously, in various tries. Experimental in the winery but intentional. He works largely with amphora, uses only gravity, and is a true proponent of working to show terroir of rather than the winemaker's ego. He, IMO, should be revered as one of the better winemakers of a generation. It's been a few years since I've given them any love in the form of an email and there is no time like the present.

We have reloaded on the Chenin, the 2022 vintage stylistically different to previous. Sharper and more cutting, still weaving in saline elements from a bit of flor influence. It offers thrilling drinking young but will also reward greatly for years to come. The Riesling is also one for the acid heads. LINEAR. I know this is divisive terminology in the world of wine and have friends who believe it to be redundant. I always give them this to see what I mean. It's sharp and drives straight down the palate. All citrus and mineral.

Auto in a new vintage shows local reds at their best. This being a warmer year but things are still lithe and reminiscent of the Jura. Sour red fruit and earthy notes wrapped up in a lightweight frame. The Kékfrankos, aka Blaufränkisch, shows more blue fruit but is equally vibrant. Both would be best served chilled to your liking. BBQ wines.

A recent tasting saw new delights that further cemented my belief that István can do it all. A Pinot Gris that, blind, I would have sworn could've come from only one cellar. Andreas Tscheppe. Just like some of the great wines of Styria, the ferment never completely finished either. We're left with 5g of residual so still technically 'dry' but it adds body and a little spritz. A dangerous combination. The reduction here is all sesame and smoke, hence why I'd be certain this was a Tscheppe wine, but things flesh out to reveal the varietal with the complexity of Alsace yet with the acid lines of England. It's still haunting me.

Maybe better still, a Blanc de Noir that spent 10 years on lees before its disgorgement last year. This is criminally priced considering the sheer length of time this has taken from vine to my mouth. It's autolytic and savoury for sure but feels much fresher than a bottle over a decade should taste. Bubbles are clearly another string in the Bencze bow. It's actually wild that this has Crémant pricing, yet Champagne quality. See for yourself.

The Aries Riesling is always a personal favourite. Brought a mag to a staff party once, ahh the good old days! This edition is picked later and so we get that heady profile of Riesling left to hang on the vine. It is still firmly bone dry, but going tropical and floral, almost honeyed. It then sees a little bit of flor building in salt and savouriness, making things go all herbal. It should all be too much but it's grounded by creamy texture, minerality and lashings of acid. It's so balanced. It's so clever. It's so tasty. Obsessed. Tiny amounts. One for the true heads.

It’s a stunning line-up atm. Go hard whilst you can!

Keep your eyes peeled for Thursday. It’s gonna be huge if you like hard to find Jura.

G2G, half way through a stocktake... Mind-numbing, and back-breaking alike. Hope to see you on the other side.

Bisou
Fionn
xoxoxoxo