It's November. Halloween is over, and everyone in the United States is starting to think about the holidays (and for some, Christmas decorations, you know who you are). This seems like the perfect time to start talking about unique and interesting wines. By interesting wines, I mean the ones that few have tried, and you can offer guests or bring to parties and really impress your friends and family. Because of course that is what parties are all about, right? With that, I wanted to share a very special wine that I had the pleasure of trying recently. For those of you who read my previous post about Nimrod Wines Chardonnay, you will not be surprised to be hearing about another wine from Eger (Hungary). If you haven't read about Nimrod wines, check out their website, or read my previous review here. Today we are going to be talking about 2012 Kékfrankos. Like the Chardonnay, the grapes come from their Monopole terriors. What is a Monopole, you may ask? Well, voice in my head that I am pretending is my reader, I am glad you asked. Monopole refers to the vineyards that the winery, in this case Kovàcs Nimròd Winery, owns and has exclusive rights to produce and harvest grapes. Think of it as a monopoly, but in a good way. These grapes answer to no one else, and you can taste it in the wine.
Okay, so the grapes from this red are grown and harvested on monopole vineyards, but what is Kékfrankos? Another great question, imaginary reader! Kékfrankos, while not well known in the United States, is actually the dominant red varietal grown in Hungary. This dark skinned grape goes by other names, including Blaufränkisch, Lemberger, and Gamé. Not only is it one of the most abundantly planted grapes in Hungary, but it is also the oldest dating back to the 13th or 14th centuries. Legend has it that Napoleon was a fan of Kékfrankos.
Let's get down to it. This bottle is part of of Nimrod Wines' All That Jazz collection. The Kékfrankos is called Blues. Its brothers and sisters are Rhapsody, Soul, and Noir. Their 2012 Kékfrankos is nicely complex. It smells richly of dark berries (with a hint of smokiness). The initial taste is of fruit and cherry, but interestingly gives way to a burst (and I do mean burst) of ripe apricot. I love the secondary flavor! I don't often have a wine sneak up on me during a tasting, but I am pretty sure that is what happened. As I was enjoying the subtle cherries, and wondering if I detected a hint of floral notes, all of a sudden the wine jumped out from a dark corner and, BAM, apricot! If their Chardonnay had me saying 'oooooooh' at the nose, this wine had me saying it mid tasting. In addition, it has pleasant, smooth tannins and nice length to it. This is a very unique and surprising wine.
I highly recommend this bottle. Try it, share it, and store some for later! At $18 a bottle, this is an incredible find. If you are interested, go explore nimrodwines.com, or click here to check out 2012 Kékfrankos and here for 2013 Blues!
I have been very impressed with both wines I tried from Nimrod Wines. If you have not heard of them, you should definitely check them out. There is a lot to love coming out of Eger!
Samples for review courtesy of Nimrod Wines
