2011 Szekszárd Bikavér - Egerváry

Tart mulberry, dried tobacco, wild elderberry. Black currant, iron ore, cranberry reduction. Tree bark and sawdust, bay leaf and fragrant paprika. Foraged berries and fresh plums gathered together in a wicker basket, collected alongside sweet peppers and sage. Crunchy leaves and violet trampled underfoot waft beautiful earthy dirtiness that only nature can replicate. Blood, rust, and iodine emerge as the fruit subsides, colliding with loam and mineral tones in raw and organic assemblage. Medium in body with pronounced crushed velvet tannin and ringing acidity. This 2011 Szekszárd Bikavér by Egerváry is a rustic and radical Hungarian red blend.

Bikavér is a unique style of Hungarian red wine created using a blend of Kékfrankos and other international wine grape varieties. It can only be produced in two regions - Szekszárd and Eger - and is one of the most iconic dry wines made in all of Hungary. This bottling, crafted by the negociant Egerváry using fruit from the Szekszárd region in Southern Hungary, is an excellent take on the style. It is composed of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, and is deliciously earth-driven and complex. While already nearly a decade old this wine is still fresh and focused with structure to spare, and some bottle age has helped coax out unique secondary flavor components. This stuff is extremely food friendly and balanced and will pair wonderfully with both modern and classic cuisine. This is available domestically through PB Importers who brought it over from Hungary to the US market.