A historic first class classified area on the outskirts of Tolcsva, replanted with Furmint in 2017. The primary criteria for the selection of clones was to plant a smaller, looser-clustered Furmint with a high quality yield, suitable for making dry wines. This Furmint clone, which is suitable for making fresh, juicy, fruity wines, and the excellent microclimate of the area, make it less prone to botrytis. At the top of the steep and rocky slopes of the Zemplén, 306 metres from the sea, 0,6 hectares of goblet trained Furmint are surrounded by forest. The soil is rich in coloured volcanic rocks, clayey, deep-lying brown forest soil with a slightly acidic, carbonated lime content.
Vineyard area: 8 hectares
Grape varieties: Furmint grown on medium-high cane and bunches.
History:
This vineyard was part of the historical Kútpataka (Kwthpataca, Kuthpotoca, Kwtpataca). The so-called “vine hill” (now a vineyard) was originally a settlement adjacent to Tolcsva in the Middle Ages, whose extensive vineyard area has preserved the name of the village. The area was owned by the Tolcsvay noble family and the parish of Tolcsva. The first known mention of the village dates back to 1377, in connection with a medieval property dispute. It was named after the temporary water spring Rány river located on the outskirts of the former settlement, after the old Hungarian term ‘kút pataka’. The form Kútpatka, which is still known today, is first mentioned in written sources only in the mid-17th century. The vineyard was named after its owner, the aristocrat Gersei Petheő/Pethő family. It became independent rather late, for clearly political reasons. In fact, this is the reason for the first known specific reference to it. Ferenc Gersei Pethő, the head of the family that owned the vineyard in Kútpatka, the head of the county of Abaúj, died in 1686. A year later, in 1687, the court, on the advice of the Italian-born general Antonio Caraffa (1642-1693), confiscated the family vineyards from the heirs, together with other possessions. However, the heirs did not let this go, and after three years of litigation, thanks to the intervention of Count István Csáky (1635-1699), a judge of the court, and Count István Szirmay, a master of the court, the heirs got their vineyards back at Kútpatka. In 1690, the Emperor and King Lipót I (1657-1705) issued a so-called letter of protection for the family, stating that they could not interfere with the Pethő family estates. Thereafter, the aristocratic family owned their vineyards in Kútpatka for a long time. In the middle of the 18th century, the Pető family was also the owner, but through marriage, the noble Szirmay family also acquired vineyards there as a donation. These two families were the dominant owners of the estate until the end of the Second World War.