Vesztergombi Bikavér 2021

If we pay attention to Bikavér, it tells us about past centuries, traditions, the work done in the vineyards, and perhaps a little about the Szekszárd region.

Grape Varietals & Region: A five-way Szekszárd blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Kékfrankos and Kadarka — Kadarka being the grape that, by law and by tradition, actually makes a Bikavér a Bikavér, even in small proportion. Grown across Vesztergombi's replanted vineyards on Szekszárd's deep loess hillsides, where windblown, lime-rich silt drains fast and holds heat, and a long, hot growing season with a reliable Indian summer tail lets even late-ripening reds like Cabernet get properly ripe this far north.

Taste Profile: Dark plum and sloe up front, with dried fruit, tobacco and a savoury edge of clove and coffee bean underneath. The palate is full and creamy rather than austere — ripe fruit wrapped in sweet spice, cardamom and cocoa — running into a warming, medium-length finish. Good with something rich and gamey, or just cured meats and a hard cheese.

Winemaking Process: The blend ages 24 months across 300-litre and 500-litre Hungarian oak barrels — big enough to let the wine keep its own voice rather than getting swallowed by new wood — then another six months settling in bottle before release. Dry, conventionally made, no shortcuts: just patient oak ageing to let five different grapes actually integrate.

Winemaker: The Vesztergombi family's Szekszárd winemaking history goes back to the 1700s — the coat of arms still on their labels is that old, and a family ancestor, György Vesztergombi, once held the title of the town's first vineyard judge. That continuity was broken hard by post-war collectivisation, and it took until privatisation in 1991 for Ferenc Vesztergombi to reclaim 10 hectares and a cellar on Kadarka Street and found the modern winery — earning Hungary's Winemaker of the Year title just two years later. Today his son Csaba, who trained in viticulture and worked a harvest season in Australia, runs the day-to-day alongside his parents across 27 hectares and six vineyards, most replanted at far higher density than the old collective-farm plantings ever managed.