THE WINE
Could this be the best value not-Champagne at the moment?  We'd certainly put it up there for consideration.  
 
100% Pinot Noir as a Blanc de Noir, Brut Nature,  Methode Traditionelle sparkling wine.  Single vintage - 2015 - and then spending 10 years on the fine lees before disgorging. 
 
Comparable with some of the best vintage Champagnes from the Aube with the richer mid palate coming from the extended lees ageing and the basalt soils of the region. 
 
THE PEOPLE
Bencze Birtok is a biodynamic natural-wine estate run by István Bencze on the volcanic slopes of Szent György-hegy above Lake Balaton, in Hungary's Badacsony district. Founded in 2011, the estate farms around 18–20 hectares across three parcels whose varied basalt, clay and loess soils lend distinct character to each cuvée. Bencze favours rare native Hungarian varieties alongside international ones, making minimal-intervention whites, reds and orange wines, a mineral Furmint, a rich, honeyed Kéknyelű, and earthy, fruit-driven Pinot Noirs like Atlas, typically fermented in open vats with little or no fining, filtration or added sulphur, resulting in pure, terroir-driven wines.
 
 
THE PLACE
The Balaton wine region surrounds Hungary's Lake Balaton and comprises six districts: Badacsony, Balatonboglár, Balaton-felvidék, Balatonfüred-Csopak, Nagy-Somló and Zala,  covering some 10,700 hectares of vines. It's best known for crisp, mineral white wines from olaszrizling (Welschriesling), though red wine, especially Kékfrankos, is gaining ground on the northern shore. Volcanic soils around Badacsony and the Balaton Highlands give firm, mineral whites, including the rare, age-worthy Kéknyelű and rich Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris), while the nearby volcanic hill of Somló contributes fiery, saline wines from the ancient Juhfark grape. Overall, the region is prized for its diversity, from bone-dry to lush, fruity to salty,  reflecting its varied volcanic and loess terroirs.