Bati Kereszt

In 2018 flowering started early, at the end of May and it was followed by a warm and dry summer. In some vineyards one could find shrivelled berries as early as mid-August. Harvest started right after my wedding ceremony on August 21 and we had to be quick. 2 days of heavy rains (90-100mm) at the beginning of September caused some delay. Bati Kereszt was, as every year, our latest Kékfrankos pick.

Retrospectively, 2018 wines are quite sharp and focused, due to the very rapid, extreme vegetation conditions. Aromatic profile is driven more by dried fruits and herbs, warm spices.

The 2018 harvest has brought whole scale changes to our winery. What started earlier as experiments have now been applied to much larger lots: whole cluster fermentation, conversion from cultured yeast to indigenous yeast (pied de cuve) and long maceration in 5000-8000 litre wood or steel fermentation vats. We wanted to transfer the post-fermentation marc containing the pips in the most gentle way to the press, so instead of using pumps we opted for manual tools: spades and big boxes.

The new way of fermenting has resulted in unprecedented freshness and intensity in our Kékfrankos and to preserve these characteristics we decided to age the wines in steel tanks and large barrels for shorter periods.
 
Spontaneous fermentation in a stainless steel fermenter
Completely destemmed
Delicate extraction with daily 2x pump-over
Pressed without pumping after 27 days of skin contact
Spontaneous malolactic fermentation
 
Barrel aging for 8 months in large,
1000 liter Hungarian barrels
 
Estate bottled
without fining and filtration.

JamesSuckling.com, Stuart Pigott

Lots of wet earth and some graphite in the nose make this feel very young, and there’s remarkable acidity for the vintage, married to a substantial, moderately dry tannin structure. Bold and quite muscular finish with pronounced minerality and a touch of savory character. Drink or hold.
**** Score: 93 Points

WineAlign, John Szabo MS

Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com »

A spicy nose that reminds me of Zanzibar curry spice, violets and dark chocolate. Cool, black fruit and then it tastes as if someone emptied a great basket of petals on mossy, leafy forest floor. Violets and dappled shadows moving softly in and out of a black-rock core. Silk and iron tannins dipped in slate dust. This wine hums with a deep inner energy, and it reminds me of the haunting vibration of a didgeridoo. Fine, fine tannins, polished to a glow. (TC)
Drink 2020 – 2024
17,5 points

Dr. Jamie Goode, WineAnorak.com »

A single-vineyard wine, from the most western vineyard, at 280 m (the highest). Wild ferment, and aged in large Hungarian oak barrels (1000 litres, older). This was the last fermented, and because the vintage was compressed they had to use a stainless steel fermenter where it wasn’t possible to do whole-bunch at all. Juicy, spicy and with some black cherry aromatics: sweetly aromatic and enticing. The palate has nice focus and concentration with good acidity under the supple black cherry fruit. Really expressive and vital with sleek, smooth black fruits and hints of tar and citrus peel. Nice black cherry and blackberry fruit. Lovely floral elegance to this wine. This improved greatly being opened in advance. 94/100

Wein.Plus »

Astringent, somewhat earthy fragrance of predominantly dark berries with dried plant and mushroom nuances. Rather firm, lively, tart and juicy fruit, nutty, dried vegetable and earthy tones, some peppery spice, a hint of cocoa and nutty wood, good substance and persistence, quite lively acidity, some salt in the background, herbal and floral nuances, very good, firm, juicy finish. Very good. 88 WP

Paul Kern, Weinkenner.de »

Ein Einzellagen-Kekfrankos aus der höchs­ten Par­zel­le (275 Meter) der Heimanns und der ein­zi­ge Wein, den 2018 Zol­tan ohne Ganz­trau­ben­an­teil ver­go­ren hat. Das macht ihn mol­li­ger, sam­ti­ger und klas­si­scher.

Alder Yarrow, Vinography.com

Medium purple in the glass, this wine smells of wet wool and boysenberry. In the mouth, powdery, creamy tannins wrap around flavors of earth, herbs, mulberry, and flowers. Aged in large Hungarian oak barrels. Excellent acidity. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5  

Tomasz Prange-Barczynski, Ferment

More traditional nose, hints of forest fruit, some leafy aromas. Earthy pallet, ripe cherries, great structure, harmonious, well balanced wine. Very juicy. 91 pts

Enjoy between 2020-2028
slightly chilled, preferably out of Burgundy glasses.

2019 started with a dry and warm March and it was followed by a cold and rainy May, slowing down the initial rapid growth of the vines. From June on, a warm and dry summer granted reliable flowering and berry development, which led us to start harvest in the first days of September.

The second vintage of our Heimann & Fiai lineup. We carried through with selective hand harvests and use of whole bunches in every fermenting lot. Our 2019 wines show a ripe, approachable, fresh-fruit driven character that’s typical for Szekszárd – and a puristic aromatic freshness that we see as hallmark of Heimann & Fiai Kékfrankos. We see 2019 as a top vintage, both in quantity and quality.

In 2019, we continued and slightly improved the winemaking processes we started a year earlier. After sorting, the grapes received were partially processed with whole bunches and fermented with our own yeast flora.

The fermented grape marc, including the stalks, was fed into the press as gently as possible, so we used a double manual operation with a shovel and a big box instead of a pump. 

The new way of fermenting has resulted in unprecedented freshness and intensity in our Kékfrankos and to preserve these characteristics we decided to age the wines in steel tanks and large barrels for shorter periods.
 
Spontaneous fermentation in a traditional wooden fermenter and some small plastic bins

Delicate extraction with daily 2x pump-over
Pressed without pumping after 5-22 days of skin contact
Spontaneous malolactic fermentation
 
Barrel aging for 8 months in large,
1000 liter Hungarian barrels
 
Estate bottled
without fining and filtration.

JamesSuckling.com, Stuart Pigott

I love the delicately spicy and earthy nose, which has plenty of red-plum and ripe nectarine fruit. At the front, the wine seems like it’s all fresh fruit, but then the fine tannins build steadily as it flows over the palate, adding weight and depth. Yet, it remains silky and elegant. Drink or hold.
**** Score: 93 Points

Wine.Plus »

Tart, clear aroma of predominantly black berries with a hint of cherries, herbs and pepper. Taut, tangy dark fruit with some acidity and youthful, fine sandy tannins, persistent on the palate, nutty traces, a little dry herbs and pepper, mineral hints, very good, taut, tangy finish.
Very good. 88 WP
Best to drink Mid 2022 to 2027+

A Művelt Alkoholista
Red natives vs. international grape varieties - I. place »

Heimann & Fiai Bati Kereszt Kékfrankos 2019
The public mood really needed a strong drive. Slight syrah character, oregano, violets, blueberries, cherries. Something happening at every level. The palate is concentrated, complex, tart, with real fruit and real acidity. Totally ripe base material, with probably the whole cluster fermentation adding zing. I didn't taste any barrel at all.

wbonkowski »

2nd vintage so now obvious it's no accident… The most sophisticated, forward-looking red wines I taste from Hungary (finally!): the ethereal single-vineyard Kékfrankos from Heimann.

Enjoy between 2022-2030
slightly chilled, preferably out of Burgundy glasses.

„Szekszárd Bottle” is a regional quality seal, that may be used only for Kadarka, Kékfrankos and Szekszárd Bikavér wines, after passing a rigorous test.

An average warm spring brought a slow start to growth. Flowering started a little late, in the first days of June. Due to the cold and rainy weather, berry set didn't go smoothly, leading to a 20-30% yield loss in most plots. The summer was warm but without major heat waves. The very arid August was followed by a dry autumn, except for a heavy rain in early September. The few but excellent quality grapes were picked later than usual, in mid-September. In retrospect we see 2020 as a low yielding but beautifully ripe vintage.

In 2020, we continued and slightly improved the winemaking processes we started a year earlier. After sorting, the grapes received were partially processed with whole bunches and fermented with our own yeast flora.

The fermented grape marc, including the stalks, was fed into the press as gently as possible, so we used a double manual operation with a shovel and a big box instead of a pump. 

The new way of fermenting has resulted in unprecedented freshness and intensity in our Kékfrankos and to preserve these characteristics we decided to age the wines in steel tanks and large barrels for shorter periods.
 
Spontaneous fermentation in a traditional wooden fermenter and some small plastic bins

Delicate extraction with daily 2x pump-over
Pressed without pumping after 5-22 days of skin contact
Spontaneous malolactic fermentation
 
Barrel aging for 8 months in large,
1000 liter Hungarian barrels
 
Estate bottled
without fining and filtration.

„Szekszárd Bottle” is a regional quality seal, that may be used only for Kadarka, Kékfrankos and Szekszárd Bikavér wines, after passing a rigorous test.