With its last two vintages the winery’s top of the range riesling, Prior, somewhat unexpectedly, has managed to consolidate its position among the best Hungarian whites. In 2017 no Prior was made and in similar situations the winery’s loss may turn out to be the budget conscious customer’s gain, as the grapes destined for the high-end wine end up in the cheaper bottling.
In this particular case I had the impression that not only the grapes destined for Prior ended up in the cheaper bottling but also quite a bit of sauvignon blanc. There are several traits – on the nose, on the palate and in the acidity – that I for one associate with sauvignon blanc. Whatever the truth may be the wine is not bad. On day 1 it seemed quite harsh and edgy – hence the allusion in the title -, on day 2 it became smoother, more refined. It’s a racy, juicy wine with delicious fruit displaying hints of gooseberry, pineapples, nettles and orange zest. If you are happy with an uncompromisingly reductive wine that is perky, crispy, with no discernible faults and sold at an affordable price then this is a fairly good choice.
4-5 points and 8 euros (Source: https://www.bortarsasag.hu/hu/bor/magyar/pannonhalma/pannonhalmi_rajnai_rizling_2017)
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