Heimann & Fiai Baranya-völgy Kékfrankos 2018

The Heimann family has been pioneering in bringing many clones of Kadarka and Kékfrankos back to life from the verge of extinction during Communism. This is a grape that once covered over 60,000 hectares in Hungary and was less than 400 hectares by the early 1990s. In addition to spearheading Kadarka research and planting, Zoltán Sr. and his wife Ágnes had also built an impressive
business centered around Bordeaux varieties, some Viognier, and even a little Sagrantino. These have been iconic wines for the estate and the Szeskzárd appellation for over 20 years.

With 20+ years of lessons learned about which clones work best and where they should be planted, Heimann & Fiai have decided to focus exclusively on Kadarka and Kékfrankos. Along with conversion to organic farming, the winemaking also reflects a different approach geared towards freshness and aromatics. Multiple passes for picking, using more whole clusters, open vat fermentation, less extraction, and moving the wine manually in lieu of pumps. All fermentations are spontaneous, zero fining, coarsely filtered if at all, and a minimal use of sulfirat bottling. They are also aging wines in clay in addition to Hungarian oak and stainless steel.

Spontaneous fermentation with 25-30% whole bunches. Barrel aging for 8 months in Hungarian barrels. 2018 was a warm and tricky vintage with both shriveled clusters and late rains, but with careful selection, handled gently, the natural acidity of Kékfrankos and a relatively short time in barrel, this wine has a great balance of ripe/spicy fruit and freshness.