Pannonhalmi Abbey Winery’s wines: Infusio, Prior, Hemina, Tricollis

One of the most essential wineries in Hungary, it belongs to the Abbey of Pannonhalma, located in the North Transdanubian region on a hilltop of the Pannonhalmi Hills, which has been perched there for over a thousand years. From the beginning, viticulture and winemaking were integral to monastic life. The names of today’s wines are linked to and commemorate this aspect of the monks’ lives.

Very few estates have written records, hand-painted maps, going back many hundreds of years, of how the grape varieties in each vineyard performed in each vintage.

When the vineyard was restarted after the regime change, it was thought that Abbey’s records would provide the basis for the activity. Accordingly, essential grape varieties of the past were planted, notably Olaszrizling, Riesling, and Tramini. But they have also planted fashionable varieties such as sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, as well as grape varieties that may be of interest in the future, such as royal daughters.
Originally planned to be 50 hectares, 15 hectares were to be red vines mainly Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

The names of the wines often go back to the centuries-old Benedictine tradition. The beautiful names are all blends except for Prior.

Tricollis

Tricollis is the primary wine of everyday life. Available in white, red, and rosé. White is the most widely produced, with around 105,000 bottles a year. The winery produces 75,000 bottles of Tricollis rosé, one of the best Hungarian rosés, and 48,000 bottles of red Tricollis per year.
Originally the name Tricollis included three vineyards and three vineyards, but now it is more a cask for the Abbey-Blessed Virgin Chapel-Monument triple, as the wines are now made from a blend of four varieties.

Hemina

The name Hemina is also derived from the Benedictine Rule: it derives from the requirement that each monk drinks only so much wine a day as it does not disturb his body or soul. Each person has as much “hemina” as he can drink without getting drunk.

Hemina is an old Roman measure of space, converted to our modern SI unit of measurement, about 2.7 dl, or roughly one-third of a modern bottle of wine. Depending on individual circumstances, this amount can really cheer the heart and warm the soul.

White Hemina White

White Hemina is a Burgundy-style white wine, the composition of which varies according to the style of the vintage. The chardonnay, which makes up the bulk of the lot, has been influenced by the notes of repeated barrel aging, nicely complemented by the full body of the pinot blanc, the ripe fruitiness of the viognier, and the livelier acidity of the sauvignon blanc. The wine’s ripe fruit aromas and chalky minerality are strongly emphasized on the nose and the palate, while its creaminess and butteriness result from its long aging on fine lees, which combine to produce a complex and well-aged lot.
The wine’s value is reflected in the silver medal (92 points) it won at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards.

Red Hemina

Red Hemina is usualy a young and full-bodied, generally ruby in color but often purple. We attribute this to the meeting of cabernet franc and the brown woodland and white clay soil of the Pannonhalma hills. On the nose, the sweet and warm spiciness is prominent, especially from a glass of oak, and is accompanied by a vanilla-clove-cinnamon-cherry complexity, with an equally charming and lightly tuned blackberry and cherry fruitiness. The palate has a summery feel and is sufficiently complex and medium-bodied, with a characteristic softness due to the low tannin content and outstanding fruitiness. Although not barrel-aged, it has distinct vanilla overtones and a spice palate that parallels the nose with flavors of forest fruits, especially blackberries. Relatively light but not weightless, it is also very versatile with food.

White Prior

White Prior, (Perjel) refers to the monk next in rank to the abbot. Pannonhalma likes to highlight Riesling among its whites. Made in the most significant quantities, this white reflects the characteristics of the wine region. It is recognizable and will only improve over the years as the roots of the still-young vines bring up minerals from more profound layers of soil. With bottle aging, it settles down, turning lemon to orange and tangerine, plus getting more robust. It’s a rewarding choice for those who like a good acidity with some residual sugar to support the tart flavors.

Red Prior

Red Prior is a barrel-aged selection of clones from three vineyards of the Pinot noir grape variety (Tavaszó, Babszökő, Széldomb), comprising the finest lots. A very elegant wine but available in very limited quantities. A delicate and subtle play on the potential of the variety.

Infusio

Infusio is a red wine in the Bordeaux style of Pannonhalma. A blend of merlot and cabernet franc from the warmest vineyards of the abbey. The wine is full of Mediterranean notes, serious, elegant, and long-lasting. Initially the word ‘Infusio’ meant a healing solution, a liquid introduced drop by drop into the body to treat a sick person or infuse divine love.

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Pannonhalma Abbey’s Winery’s wines on Vinotek.hu