Description
The Stumpf family runs 20 hectares of vines in the Eger appellation of Hungary. The parcels are primely situated about halfway up the hill Nagy-Eged, this mythical mount of Eger (it's the highest-altitude red wine vineyard in Hungary), where the soil structure is probably the best, and it can still retain enough water. The high proportion of limestone gives a good frame of acidity. This wine is 100% Kékfrankos from 40-50-year-old vines. The most planted red variety in Hungary (also very important in Austria, where it’s known as Blaufränkisch), Kékfrankos typically yields a marvellously vibrant and crunchy, black cherry-infused, peppery wine. The wine is aged for 20 months in 500-liter acacia and Hungarian oak barrels and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The only addition is a small amount of SO₂ at bottling (20-25 ppm total—i.e., very low). This is a Kékfrankos that's classy and even a touch flashy, with dark fruit and noteworthy structure. It gains complexity with bottle age. It’s dense but refreshing and has enough texture to handle richer foods.
