Gál Lajos, Egri Bikavér Superior, 2020

Gál Lajos Winery, Eger Region

Lajos Gál has been making wine since the 1970s—initially as a hobby, while he taught winemaking at different universities. With four hectares of vineyards, Gál’s winery is on the smaller size. But he is a standard-bearer for promoting quality in Eger. He is also a fascinating man to drink a few glasses of wine with while discussing winemaking in Eger. Following the Eger tradition, Gál pays special attention to his blends. They are impeccably balanced and exciting, with all of the varieties complementing each other, while letting Eger’s special terroir shine. Egri Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) is one of Hungary’s best-known wines, and has been made for at least 150 years (following some strict quality guidelines). Kékfrankos is the backbone (comprising 50 percent of this wine), with Merlot (23 percent), Cabernet Franc (13 percent), Kadarka (12 percent), and Portugieser (two percent). This Superior category requires 12 months of aging, however Gál aged this wine for 24 months (in a combination of oak barrels from Hungary, America, and France). Grapes are from three of Eger’s best vineyards (Sík-hegy, Pajados, and Kántor-tag), which have topsoil over rhyolite tufa. Despite rain at the end of the season, grapes were beautifully ripe when harvested by hand from late September until mid-October. This is a beautiful wine. It is complex with delicate fruit and spice flavors, a fresh acidity, and lots of minerality. The volcanic terroir is prominent, reminiscent of some Italian volcanic reds. It has gentle aromas and flavors of blackberry, plum jam, blackberry jam, violet, rose, black pepper, tarragon, mint, and cinnamon. Underneath all of this, there is flintiness, wet stone, and earthiness. With 13 percent alcohol, this wine is elegant and balanced, with a silky texture that only the best winemakers can consistently achieve. Since this wine is on the medium-bodied side, it is easy to enjoy with light meals, such as pasta with tomato sauce, spaghetti carbonara, or a Hungarian favorite, túrós csusza with lecsó.

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An ode to that infamous bottom-shelf Bull’s Blood, and all the others that followed