"After the drought-stricken summer of 2022 came the rainy 2023. A completely different approach was needed. Whereas extreme heat had stalled vegetation the previous year, we now faced the opposite challenge. The high rainfall made canopy management crucial, requiring careful leaf thinning to combat humidity-driven powdery mildew and downy mildew pressure. While precipitation eased by autumn, some wines show subtle botrytis character. The resulting wines are dense and oily with surprisingly good acidity.

From a winemaking perspective, vinification was straightforward: spontaneous fermentations progressed smoothly despite high sugar levels, and the wines evolved beautifully on fine lees. If I were to critique them, slightly lower alcohol would have been ideal, but nature doesn’t take requests. We love this vintage deeply, perhaps because it marked our 30th harvest."

The winery’s single-vineyard Olaszrizlings have fundamentally reshaped our understanding of the variety. Today, their single-vineyard Olaszrizlings serve as a benchmark in the world of wine. Unpacking a case of them reveals a thrilling spectrum of place of growth expressions – with sometimes subtle, other times dramatic differences.

Six single-vineyard wines have made it into our selection, with each capturing the imprint of the vintage: 

• Figula Baricska Olaszrizling 2023
• Figula Sóskút Olaszrizling 2023
• Figula Száka Olaszrizling 2023
• Figula Erdőszéle Olaszrizling 2023
• Figula Öreghegy Olaszrizling 2023
• Figula Gella Olaszrizling 2023