Schieber Pincészet wine tasting

Tuesday I was invited by Hanna Kigyos of WineSofa  for a private wine tasting in a wine bar called Andante Borpatika (the last word meaning wine pharmacy). The wines we tasted that afternoon were made by Schieber Pincészet a winery established in 1978 as a family enterprise in the sunny wine region Szekszárd.

The wine tasting was lead by trio of people, Anita Schieber, the owner of Schieber Pincészet, Ferenc Kern the head of gastronomy, and Ilona Posevitz, one of the two wine makers. At the table with me was the lovely Veronika Simon, the deputy general manager at Shiebert who was my translator for the afternoon.

The tasting

• Repertoár Chardonnay 2015 : The only white wine made by the winery and one of the few whites in the Szekszárd region. Made of 95% Chardonnay and 5% Cserszegi Fűszeres ( a Hungarian grape variety).  Tank fermented and made in a reductive style.
  Clean and medium intensive fruity nose, very pleasant. Lots of pear with a bit of apple, very refreshing and enjoyable on the tongue with pear and green apple. The wine has a short finish and is not acidic at all. This Chardonnay is a life saver if you are on a trip through the region and haven’t seen anything else but red wines!

 

• Repertoár siller 2015 : This wine proved that siller can be drunk fresh.  In my previous encounters with siller I was always of the opinion it should be stored away for another 3 to 12 months. This siller is made of 100% Kadarka, like the old traditions, was just fermented in steel tanks.
  The nose was like candy in a good way, strawberry, loads of peaches and a bit of banana. Very clean and intensive.  I loved it! It was like smelling a freshly cut peach. There was a good balance between the acids and alcohol with light tannins. The flavors were a bit less intensive but you still could find the previously mentioned peaches and strawberry. One of my favorite sillers by far!

 

• Trilogia Kékfrankos 2013 : A single vineyard kékfrankos, aged for 25 months in 500 hecto liter Hungarian oak barrels.
  Purple color, a fresh, clean and medium intensive fruity nose. Loads of sour cherry, cranberry and a bit of under ripe raspberry. Higher acidity on the tongue with lower alcohol, a little unbalanced but not uncommon for a kékfrankos. Smoky nose with sour cherry that lasts quite long in the finish.

 

• Repertoár Bikavér 2014 : Bottled just 3 weeks ago. Made out of 30% Kékfrankos which was aged in 500 hecto liter oak barrels for 15 months, 10% Kadarka which was in steel tank for 15 months and 20% Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon which were all aged in 220 liter barrique barrels for 15 months as well. A very young bikavér, by far the youngest I’ve drunk so far.
  Light purple color, fresh nose with a medium intensive smell of raspberry, red cherry, cranberry and a little bit of wet leaves. Can feel the alcohol a little bit burning in the nose. Medium soft tannins but they have not settled 100% yet, higher acidity and alcohol. Will be an excellent wine after it bottle ages a bit.

 

• Repertoár Cuvée 2013 : Made out of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, both aged for 15 month in 220 liter barrique barrels.
  Very enjoyable nose, medium intensive and clean. Smokey paprika powder, raspberry and a bit of strawberry jam. A little higher in acidity but not as much as the kékfrankos and bikavér were. Enjoyable tannins and not a dominant alcohol flavor. Spicy notes of cloves and a very little of cinnamon with sour cherries.

 

• Materia Prima Merlot 2013 : Aged in 300 hecto liter Hungarian barrels (which was the dominant one) and 220 hecto liter Hungarian barrels.
  A great and clean medium intensive fruity nose, with loads of dark cherry, raspberry jammy strawberries with a twist of oak. The nose is fully represented in the flavor and is accompanied by a almost perfect balance of tannins, acids and alcohol. It is still very young but it shows so much potential, it is my opinion that this wine can compete very well against the classic French Merlot!

 

•  Patina Cabernet Franc 2013 : Aged in small 220 liter French oak barrels for two years. In my opinion one of the best Cabernet Francs I’ve ever tasted and the best wine of that day.
  The nose is clean and is medium intensive with dried fruit like prunes, figs, raisins, some dark cherry, and over ripe raspberry. Very very pleasant and asking you to just take a sip from the glass! The acidity and alcohol is perfectly balanced with silky tannins. The nose is perfectly represented in the flavors again, and the finish is medium long. Another wine that could compete very well versus French Cabernet Franc wines.

 

• Solutio Cabernet Sauvignon 2013: Aged for 21 month in small 220 liter barrels. The third Bordeaux grape, and like the previous two, this wine is very delicate and elegant.
  A very pleasant nose which was again medium intensive with dark cherry, prunes and a little of dark chocolate. On the tongue is found some vanilla, dark chocolate and prunes. A good balance between acids and alcohol with elegant tannins. A good structured wine. I will write a bit more about this wine in a separate article.

 

• Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2013 : Aged in 220 to 300 liter French oak barrel for 18 months. The last bottle was a without a label, and in my opinion it still needs a bit of time.
  A clean and intensive nose with coffee, prunes, dark chocolate and a very little vanilla. Had a bit of a burning feeling in my nose because of the alcohol. Flavor was also quite intensive with Asian spices, harsh tannins and high alcohol. Long finish and very, very dry.

We finished the tasting with a three course menu and a coffee, at the end we also got a nice ”goodie bag” which included a nice bottle of Solutio Cabernet Sauvignon, a dropstop and a wine opener with the cellar’s name on it.

Below you will find some practical information about the winery, which can be useful ’til I’ve made a separate article about the winery.

Wine Region : Szekszárd, Hungary.

Area under cultivation : Around 30 Hectares. Cabernet Sauvignon 9 HA, Cabernet Franc 5 HA, Kékfrankos 5 HA and the rest is randomly divided for Syrah, Kadarka, Merlot and Chardonnay. All the grapes are from the Baranyavölgy-dülő wine fields.

Schieber Pincészet a very young wine cellar, they are trying out a lot of new things. Two wine makers, a female and a male. It’s important for the wine makers and especially for Ilona Posevitz to use the traditional grapes like Kadarka and Kékfrankos.

I would like to especially thank WineSofa for inviting me to this wine tasting.  It was great!
Schieber Pincészet, keep up the great job, your wines are truly amazing! It was an honor to be part of the tasting. And thank you Veronika Simon for being my translator! 🙂

I am leaving Budapest on Monday morning to do a small wine trip through Tokaj and Eger, I will keep my Facebook and Instagram up to date with pictures but there will be no articles until I am back on Thursday.