Grape Guide
Hárslevelű
WhiteHárslevelű, Hungarian for linden leaf, is a late-ripening white grape from northeastern Hungary and a DNA-confirmed offspring of Furmint. It is Furmint's usual partner in Tokaji Aszú and also yields full-bodied, spicy dry wines in Tokaj, Eger, Somló and Villány, in styles softer and earlier maturing than Furmint's.
Key characteristics
- Seedling of Furmint, confirmed by DNA profiling, and a probable sibling of the Swiss variety Plantscher
- Mid-budding and late-ripening, with big, loose bunches of thin-skinned berries
- Vulnerable to spring frost, powdery mildew and dry spells
- Somewhat less inclined than Furmint to develop noble rot, though still widely used for Aszú and late-harvest wines
- One of six varieties permitted under the Tokaj appellation, and a parent of the crossing Kabar
Typical flavors
Major regions
Tokaj (Hungary) · Eger and Debrő (Hungary) · Somló (Hungary) · Villány (Hungary) · Slovak Tokaj (Slovakia) · Burgenland (Austria) · Swartland and Robertson (South Africa)
Also known as
Budai Fehér (also used for Ezerjó) · Feuille de Tilleul (France) · Harslevelleu · Lindenblättrige (Germany · Austria) · Lipolist (Croatia) · Lipovina (Czech Republic · Slovakia) · Frunza de tei (Romania)
Hárslevelű makes aromatic white wine of medium to full body, with a softer texture and lower perceived acidity than its parent Furmint. In Tokaj it adds perfume and spice to sweet wines whose firm structure comes from Furmint, and varietal late-harvest and Aszú bottlings have become more common since the early 2000s. Dry versions run from lean and mineral on volcanic hills to viscous and honeyed where yields are low and fruit is fully ripe.
The name refers to the linden tree, and linden flower is a frequent descriptor in notes on the better dry wines, often alongside elderflower, pollen and a light peppery spice. The wines generally open up earlier than Furmint, though well-made dry and sweet examples from good sites can age for many years. Plantings in Hungary total roughly 1,600 hectares, making it one of the country's most widely grown white varieties after the leading workhorses.
Hárslevelű is first recorded in Hungary in 1744, and DNA work has since clarified its pedigree. A 2008 study using thirteen microsatellite markers indicated that Furmint was either its parent or its offspring; a later analysis with sixty markers settled the question, showing Hárslevelű to be a seedling of Furmint. The same analysis identified Plantscher, a Swiss variety of long standing but Hungarian origin, as a probable sibling. The second parent has not been identified. The pedigree points to a Hungarian origin, and the story that Hárslevelű, like Furmint, arrived from Italy has no documentary or genetic support.
The synonym Budai Fehér, meaning white of Buda, is also applied to Ezerjó, a separate variety, so the two names should not be mixed up in vineyard records.
Hárslevelű has been used as a parent in Hungarian breeding programmes. Kabar, a cross with Bouvier made at Tarcal in the Tokaj hills, was approved for Tokaj in the mid-2000s. Ezerfürtű is recorded as a cross with Piros Tramini bred at Kecskemét, and Zefír is listed as a cross with Leányka, although later DNA work is reported to contradict that recorded pedigree. Beyond Hungary the variety reached the Slovak part of Tokaj, Romania, and South Africa, where 75 hectares were recorded in 2008. In Australia it has been grown in the Hilltops region of New South Wales since plantings made in the 1970s. Austria authorised it in 2011.
Hárslevelű buds at mid-season and ripens late, so it depends on a long, warm autumn to reach full maturity. The vine is productive, carrying large, loose bunches of thin-skinned berries that are small to medium in size. Early shoots can be damaged by spring frost, and the vine suffers in dry spells, so sites whose subsoil holds some water are valuable. Powdery mildew is the chief fungal worry. Botrytis takes a little less readily on this variety than on Furmint, which makes the noble rot style less dependable in some vintages. It does best on warm volcanic soils, which accounts for its prominence in Tokaj, Somló and Eger, and yields must be held down to avoid thin, neutral wine.
Dry varietal wines come at every quality level. The finest are full-bodied and viscous, green-gold in the glass, with intense aromas of spice, pollen, elderflower and linden flower. Oak is used with restraint, and many producers favour neutral Hungarian casks so the perfume stays intact. Cheaper bottlings are simpler, showing soft peach fruit and a touch of white pepper. In sweet Tokaji, Hárslevelű is blended with Furmint, adding perfume and spice, and it also appears as a varietal Aszú, late-harvest wine or sweet Szamorodni. Some Tokaj producers also bottle dry single-vineyard Hárslevelű, usually with lower acidity than their Furmint. Debrői Hárslevelű is a protected designation in Eger built on the variety. In South Africa and Austria it is mostly dry, picked early to preserve freshness, and it frequently vanishes into blends.
Where it grows
Tokaj
The best-known home of the variety, where it grows on volcanic subsoil capped with loess and clay. It is one of six grapes permitted in the appellation (alongside Furmint, Sárgamuskotály, Kabar, Kövérszőlő and Zéta) and goes into Aszú, Szamorodni and dry wines. Among the producers bottling it on its own are Tokaj Nobilis, Zoltán Demeter and Berés.
Eger
Grown on rhyolite tuff and limestone, with the Debrő district most closely associated with it. The wines are perfumed and of medium weight, and St. Andrea is a recommended producer.
Somló
On the basalt hill north of Lake Balaton, the wines are more mineral and less aromatic than those of Tokaj. Producers to know include Fekete Pince, Hollóvár and Györgykovács.
Villány
In this southern region, better known for red wine, Hárslevelű is softer and more perfumed than in the north, with Polgár and Bock among the producers.
Austria and Slovakia
In Burgenland, Josef Umathum set out a small plot of the variety, which he calls Lindenblättrige; a varietal wine, dry in style, comes from it. In the Slovak part of Tokaj the grape is called Lipovina and gives wines in a style similar to the Hungarian ones.
South Africa and Australia
In the Swartland, Lammershoek has made a dry wine from old bush vines picked early to keep acidity, while Robertson has the largest area. Freeman Vineyards in Hilltops, New South Wales, grows the variety from plantings made in the 1970s.