Jakab Badacsony
It all started with Pinot Noir. This was the wine that first captivated me – so much so that I never grew tired of it. There is no other grape variety with such a multitude of expressions. It has the unique ability to be both profoundly complex and truly great while maintaining its vibrancy and refined elegance. I have never experienced this duality in any other grape variety.
I wouldn’t even call Pinot Noir a true red wine – it’s so delicate that, if tasted from a black glass, one might even mistake it for a white.
Pinot Noir was the first grape I planted, and it was also my first purchased vineyard. Today, we have ten hectares of it in the Badacsony wine region. The remaining four hectares are shared between Syrah, Kéknyelű, Vulcanus, and Viognier.
At our winery in Nemesgulács, we strive to create the finest wines from the harvested grapes with minimal intervention. Our range spans from fresh, reductive styles to complex, benchmark Burgundian-inspired expressions, and from still to sparkling wines.
Roots
There were vineyards here before us
Our Pinot Noir vineyards are situated on the clearings of Küszöb-orra, a mountain under nature protection, surrounded by forest at an altitude of 240-260 metres above sea level. These stunning plots, offering panoramic views of Lake Balaton and the iconic witness hills, were originally selected by the late Tibor Gál Sr., who sought a site perfectly suited to Pinot Noir’s preferences. He discovered this secluded, protected spot for that very reason.
The vines were later tended by the Badacsony legend, the late Huba Szeremley, before eventually coming into my care from his family.
Our Syrah vineyard is located in Badacsonylábdihegy, preserved in its original state and interplanted with Viognier. We harvest the two grape varieties together, just as is traditionally done in the Rhône Valley. These are remarkable clones, producing concentrated and full-bodied fruit every year.
As for the white varieties, we work with two local, Badacsony autochthonous grapes: Kéknyelű and Vulcanus, a cross between Pinot Gris and Budai Zöld. Both vineyards are located on the slopes of Mount Badacsony.
In 2024, we also added a few rows of new vines next to our Pinot Noir vineyard. Here, we planted another indigenous grape variety, Furmint, and we are now waiting for it to reach maturity.
Péter Jakab
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