Best of Budapest & Hungary

Kovács Nimród Winery’s Grand Bleu 2008, produced from the first harvest of vines from the Nagy-Eged Hill, Hungary’s highest Kékfrankos production area, was among the more than 1,000 wines, from around 160 exhibitors, at the VinCE Budapest Wine Show. Only 50 bottles of the Grand Bleu will be sold commercially.

“Kékfrankos is cultivated on approximately 6,700 hectares in Hungary, practically in every wine region, so it was reasonable to announce the ‘Year of Kékfrankos’ following the ‘Year of Furmint,’” said Ministerial Commissioner Eliza Kiss at the ceremonial presentation of Grand Bleu. The Ministerial Commissioner underlined the fact that, although only 50 bottles of Grand Bleu would be commercially available, “it will be possible to taste many lovely Kékfrankos wines at the national tastings organized by the Ministry of Agriculture this year”. Indeed, when would there have been a better time to make some bottles of Hungary’s most special Kékfrankos available to collectors than in 2018, the Year of Kékfrankos, and in April, the Month of Kékfrankos?

Kovács Nimród’s Grand Bleu has now reached its peak after 10 years of ageing. The grape used for this wine grew at Eger’s Nagy-Eged Hill that is considered, by wine writers, one of the most marvelous production sites in the Carpathian Basin. Harvest has become legendary at this tiny terroir, lying at a height of about 500 meters. “You can’t compare Nagy-Eged Hill with anything – it’s totally unique - unique as the Burgundy wine regions,” said Dr. Gábor Rohály, international wine academic. Grand Bleu’s 2011 and 2012 vintages have won gold medals in numerous Hungarian and international competitions, but can only hope to come close in complexity and distinctiveness to the unique and unrepeatable first harvest, the 2008 vintage – of which only 275 bottles were produced. As 200 bottles are already sold, only the quickest collectors will be able to lay their hands on the 50-bottle contingent set aside for this purpose. The international wine academics who took part in this special experience commented that the 2008 Grand Bleu is a sip of heaven. Gabriella Mészáros presented the wine to journalists, sommeliers, Masters of Wine and other experts. In her opinion, “every sip offers clean, almost imperceptible, perfectly integrated, but not insignificant tannins. The birth of such a wine needs impeccable terroir, healthy grapes, an excellent vintage and the help of the angels, as without these, making such wines is difficult. For me, this Kékfrankos is wine itself.”