STUMPF Nagy-Eged Kékfrankos 2017

The Stumpf family run 20 hectares of vines in the Eger appellation of Hungary. The parcels are primly situated about half way up the hill Nagy-Eged, this mythical mount of Eger (it's the highest-altitude red wine vineyard in Hungary), where the soil structure is probably the best, and it can still retain enough water. The high proportion of limestone gives a good frame of acidity. This wine is 100% Kékfrankos (= Blaufränkisch) from 40-50 year old vines. The wine is aged for 20 months in 500-liter acacia and Hungarian oak barrels and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The only addition is a small amount of SO2 at bottling (20-25ppm total - i.e, very low). This is a Kékfrankos that's classy and even a touch flashy, with dark fruit and noteworthy structure. It gains complexity with bottle age. It’s dense but refreshing, and has enough texture to handle richer foods.