At the end of January I visited Szekszárd on the Southern part of the country. Together with Villány, it is the region making the ripest, more full-bodied reds of the country, based on mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc – but in a different style than Bordeaux. There is generally a slight move away from overoaked, big reds in recent years, but what I tasted at the region’s most famous producer Heimann is something groundbraking.
kadarka
One to drink, not to analyze: Schieber Kadarka Trilógia 2018 from Szekszárd
Kadarka rarely gets cheaper than the Schieber Trilógia 2018 from Szekszárd. That means 5-6 Euros on shelves. I wonder if it makes enough profit for them, considering that Kadarka is tricky to grow – the tiniest bit of rain around harvest time results in serious rot and loss of crop. One of its best producers, Heimann told me once that they do rigorous grape sorting to ensure quality, discarding half the crop on average.
Lovely Kadarka from Toronyi, the Cinka dűlő 2017
A new discovery for me. A Kadarka from Szekszárd which is different – not without a reason.