Merlot is widely considered to be one of the world’s favourite grape varieties — and for good reason. Its fruitiness, velvety tannins and roundedness win over fans bottle after bottle. We work with Merlot across multiple genres and styles, and while one might assume from this that the variety poses no challenge, we know from experience that creating an exceptional Merlot is no easy feat – a fact that springs to mind every time we open a bottle of Solus.
While the most highly regarded Merlots may hail from all corners of the globe, our inspiration for this wine came from a specific place: Tuscany, with a Hungarian twist. In 1998, Attila Gere visited the Italian wine region, stopping by Ornellaia. At the time, the winery’s head winemaker was the legendary Hungarian winemaker Tibor Gál Sr. For Attila, it was an unforgettable experience to taste the base wine for the winery’s top Merlot, the Masseto, straight from the barrels in the cellar.
It was at that very moment that we decided to put ourselves to the test and see if we could draw out the power, richness and complexity that define a top-tier Merlot from the Villány terroir. We were cautiously optimistic that the sub-Mediterranean climate of our wine region, coupled with our carefully selected vineyard, would give us this opportunity.
Masseto will therefore always remain our role model. We consider it a special moment whenever we have the opportunity to taste Tuscan and Villány wines side by side. For us it is a highly significant feedback to find that, in most cases, the wines are neck and neck; sometimes one is rated higher, and at other times the other is.
The first vintage of Solus was 2000. An interesting fact about this is that the wine already existed, but we hadn’t found a name for it for quite some time. Eventually, a wine-loving couple visited us; Attila Gere told them about his dilemma, and they suggested the term “Solus.” We knew right away that this was the one, because in Latin it means “unique,” and it also contains the word “sol,” which means “sun”—and Kopár, where the grapes for this wine come from, is truly a sun-drenched vineyard.
However, the first vintage was memorable for reasons other than its name. Attila Gere selected the grapes intended for this wine during the harvest, after which we fermented the wine and transferred it to barrels. During the first tastings, however, we were somewhat disappointed: the wine did not have the character or elegance we had expected. Attila didn’t even look at the wine for several months. It wasn’t until he tasted it again later that he was stunned by the treasure he had been keeping in the cellar. Since then, we have come to understand that this rollercoaster journey is characteristic of this wine during its barrel-aging phase. In its early stages, there are periods when it isn’t quite at its best, but we can be sure that it will more than make up for it later on.
Solus is a pure Merlot wine, made exclusively from grapes grown in the Kopár vineyard. Kopár is one of the southernmost vineyards in Villány, and indeed in the entire country. Its stony soil intensifies the sun’s rays as the stones absorb heat during the day and release it onto the ripening grapes at night. Equally important is the soil’s high limestone content, which is also located in such a way that the roots can easily reach it. This imparts minerality and a lovely vibrancy to the wine, which is of exceptional value. However, on this very special terroir, the precise timing of the harvest is a key factor in creating a truly exceptional Merlot.
As with our other premium wines, a yield of 5–6 bunches per vine is essential for Solus. In addition to strict yield control in the vineyard, we also perform both manual and mechanical sorting during harvest. We age the wine for 16–18 months almost exclusively in new 300-liters barrels from Zemplén in northern Hungary. We tried other options, but we realized that for this complex, rich raw material, we need the 300-liter barrels, because when paired with the right level of toasting, these barrels beautifully complement the explosive fruitiness derived from the grapes while adding to its complexity. Zemplén oak is important because it has a lower tannin content; therefore, it is a great match for grapes that already contain a significant amount of tannins.
In addition to the harvest date, another critical factor in a wine’s development is knowing precisely when to remove it from the barrel — when it has developed the necessary complexity, yet still has a dominant fruit aroma. After bottling, the wine spends a further six to twelve months in the cellar to reveal its finest qualities before reaching wine lovers.
Solus 2021 earned 97 points from Falstaff magazine, placing it in the top tier of European Merlots in their 2025 February–March issue. The article listed it among Europe’s 9 best Merlots. In this elite category, we find iconic wines among the 9, such the 2021 Masseto, 2023 Le Pin, and 2022 Petrus — confirming that Solus belongs among the continent’s finest.
