My last weeks in a nutshell

Today I will talk about something a little less focused on wines. 

Er zal geen Nederlandse vertaling zijn door de te grote lengte van dit artikel. 

The last seven days have been hectic for me.. or should I say the last month. A lot has happened in the last 30 days with both positive and negative subjects. These are also the main reasons I didn’t have inspiration to write until now. I will try to sum up some main topics and you’ll see there will be wine involved as well, with of course the extra information.

1* My grandmother was diagnosed with kidney cancer and needed surgery at the end of January, which happened 10 days ago. My grandmother is like a mother for me, she always supported me in everything I do and happily tries some wines from time to time when I advice her to try something. (her medication doesn’t allow her to drink much).

2* My wife got a promotion ! Something that is well deserved after all the hard work she puts into her job. We already had a celebration dinner in Fausto’s both our favorite restaurant, one that deserves to get a Michelin star. This weekend I have planned a Belgian cheese plate (freshly brought from Belgium) with a very exclusive wine named Sauska Cuvée 5 2011, more information about this wine will be done in a later article because it deserves a big article.

3* My very first BorSuli in Bortársasag, a wine tasting in a sort of family environment. One big table, 16-20 random people and the wine maker(s). The wine maker(s) talk about their winery, about their wines and all sorts of side stories. I had the luck to meet Heimann Zoli (Zoltán) and his charming wife Heimann Ági (Ágnes) and hear their stories from when it all started till today. This was also the day my grandmother got her surgery, I didn’t hear about it till after my tasting.

The wine list we tasted in the evening :

• Rosé de noir pezsgő 2011, a sparkling rose wine made from Pinot Noir

The first stage of the pezsgő was made at the winery, and it was finished in Budafok, at  a company that makes pezsgő. This is a one time thing because it is to expensive and it takes to long to make pezsgő (2 years). Now days Heimann uses their Pinot Noir grapes in their rozés.

• Mammaróza Rozé 2015

This wine is named after the mother of Zoltán (the winemaker), it’s also the only name his wife named. There is Kékfrankos, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot and Menoir in the blend. Heimmann started to produce rozé wines 5 years ago upon request of Bortársasag, it would raise the sales. It has a nice salmon color and has sweet fruits in the nose with light citruses, mainly being pomelo. On the tongue you have light acids with grapefruits, a typical light rozé wine with elegant flavors.

• Kékfrankos Alte Reben 2013

One of the few single grape wines Heimann makes. It is made from old kékfrankos vines and it reflects back into the wine. The wine is in harmony and has light acids, a bit of spices and fruit with a touch of the barrel.

• Stílusgyakorlat (Tannat) 2014

A grape that originates from a town that is on the border with France and Spain. Heimann first planted the grape in 2002 after it got suggested by Gál Tibor senior. The grape has a very slow start, it is the latest to sprout. Once it sprouted they have to be fast because it becomes fruit very quickly, half of the times they end up cutting half of it. This is also the dominant grape in their Barbár wine. This specific wine has a deep ruby color with high tannins and a medium long finish, there is sour cherry and oak. The wine was aged 10 months in ten hecto liter barrels.

•  Birtokbor 2009 (BLIND TASTING)

This was a special case, and also the first blind tasting, I guessed it was a Cabernet Franc… I was partly right. The wine is a cuvée and has the name Birtokbor which means estate wine, it was made out of Cabernet Franc (!), Syrah, Merlot and Kékfrankos. The wine was definitely ready to be drank and a little bit to strong for me already. The reason this was given as a first blind tasting is because Bortársasag sold this wine as their 18th birthday wine in 2013.

• Birtokbor 2013

The younger brother of the wine above, a much less complex bouquet and a lot more fresh fruit, the flavor is clean and the wine is in balance. It was on barrel for 20 months but there is only a little bit of the barrel in both the flavor and the smell.

• Barbár 2012

The first Barbár that also wears the mark of Heimanns son, Zoltán Heimann Jr.
Barbár is the winery’s flagship wine and is always made out of the same grapes. The amounts are roughly the same and for this year this is 36% Cabernet Franc, 28% Merlot, 18% Tannat and 17% Kékfrankos. There is a lot of fresh fruit in the wine and the wine feels very fresh. It is my opinion that this wine has a great aging potential and will probably be great to drink around 2018-2020, the tannins are still nicely alive and will protect the wine and help it develop over time.

•  Barbár 2006 (BLIND TASTING)

The last wine of the evening, and in my opinion the best wine… although that Tannat blasted me away as well. 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 20% Tannat and just 10% Kékfrankos, the year was very cold but the warm and beautiful autumn saved the vintage. The wine is in perfect harmony and balanced, mature fruits and spices are like ying and yang in the flavor. I really loved this wine ! It also won a golden medal in “The Challenge du Vin Bordeaux”.

I will write an article about the winery and it’s secrets in another article.

4* Traveling to Belgium, it is a mess for me personally. 1 hour drive to the airport in Budapest, be there 2 hours before your flight, the ever slow security and check-in and than the flight of another 2 hours. I hate the whole procedure of having to go to the gate and then stand in a sort of barn for another 20 minutes to then move on and stand outside in minus 3 degrees for another small 10 minutes. Wizzair is truly wonderful but their boarding is a mess. Once I’ve arrived to Charleroi I have the choose of going with bus > train > train to get where I used to live or I have to bother someone to pick me up, something I really hate asking people simply because the drive is almost two hours to this airport.

5* For the past 7 days I was in Belgium, back at my old home. As mentioned above my grandmother got cancer surgery “just four holes” is what the doctors call it. The surgery was a success (isn’t it always?) and she was released Saturday afternoon. From there on I took care of her for most of the day till my grandfather came home. It was funny to see how now 20 years later it is me that is taking care of her instead of the other way around. During the weekend I also had a small wine tasting with my ever good friend Thomas, to compare two Chardonnays from Belward (I will write two big articles about the winery and the wine later as well), and a Pannonhalmi Apátsági‪ Henima 2014, A light red wine with a strong character and body.

My emotional state has been like a roller coaster, it is very hard for me to talk about this all so I rather write about it. Thank you to all my followers for messaging me on social media and to show support. Articles should come out every three days again.

 

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