Hárslevelű

Hárslevelű means linden leaf in Hungarian, a reference to the shape of its foliage, and it is the second grape of Tokaj after Furmint — the perfume to Furmint's structure.

In the Aszú blend its role is aromatic. Where Furmint contributes ferocious acidity and the capacity to age, Hárslevelű contributes a honeyed, floral, spicy top note: linden blossom, acacia honey, apricot, quince and a distinct peppery, almost gingery lift. It is also highly susceptible to noble rot, which makes it valuable in its own right for the aszú harvest.

It has increasingly been bottled as a dry varietal wine, and those bottlings are the reason the grape is worth knowing about outside Hungary. Dry Hárslevelű is medium to full bodied with moderate-to-high acidity, a waxy texture, and the floral-honeyed aromatics carrying through onto a mineral, faintly smoky finish that reflects the volcanic soils of the Zemplén hills.

It is also grown in the Somló region, a single extinct volcano rising from the plain in western Hungary, where the basalt soil produces tighter, smokier, more austere wine, and in Eger and Mátra.

It ripens late, which limits where it can be planted, and yields well.

Hungarian wine spent four decades under state production aimed at volume and has been rebuilding since 1990. Hárslevelű is one of the varieties that benefits most from the shift, having been treated for a long time as a blending component rather than a grape worth naming.