St. Andrea, “Áldás” Egri Bikavér Superior, 2022

Bikavér (“Bull’s Blood”) is living a revival, with St. Andrea being one of the wineries leading this comeback. Owner / winemaker, Dr. György Lőrincz, and his son, György Lőrincz Jr., produce a range of Bikavérs, including this Áldás Superior. Bikavér is always a blend of at least four red varieties, and this one has seven. Kékfrankos (the region’s superstar) is the backbone, spiced up with Kadarka and Pinot Noir. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah add richness and complexity. This wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks, and aged in large 500 liter and 2,500 liter used Hungarian oak barrels for 11 months. This wine has a magnificent balance, and makes it clear why Dr. Lőrincz has won all of Hungary’s winemaking awards, including “winemaker of the year” and “winemakers’ winemaker”. This wine has a deep purple color, with intense aromas of cherry preserves, black cherries sour cherries, violets, bay leaves, and sweet spices. There are flavors of ripe blackberries, black cherries, cocoa powder, and dark, chocolate. The moderate tannins and juicy acidity make this an easy-to-drink wine (14 percent alcohol). It will evolve in your glass beautifully. Áldás (which means blessing in Hungarian) shows what a Bikavér should, and can, be. Enjoy it next to tomato-based dishes and pastas, duck, and stews.

$29.90

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One of Hungary’s red wine bastions, Eger, the home of Bikavér (aka Bull’s Blood), also boasts a diverse geological make-up which includes rhyolite tuff. It is also Hungary’s northernmost red-wine-producing region. Historic vineyards planted on these volcanic rocks make some of the biggest, fieriest wines in the region. As in Tokaj, this tuff lends itself perfectly to the carving of cellars. It hosts 99 percent of Eger’s cellars, including networks of passages dozens of miles long and the famous cellars under the city’s fortified castle.

Although historically a white wine land like its volcanic counterparts, red varieties displaced the whites and finally after the blight of phylloxera, Eger’s flagship red blend, Egri Bikavér, attained a worldwide reputation at the start of the 20th century. Winemakers here take this traditional blend seriously.
It has improved tremendously and has little in common with those past Bikavér’s which were exported to the West during the Communist-era of mass-produced wine. Varietals that find their way into Bikavér are Kékfrankos (Blaufrankish), Pinot Noir, Portugieser, Merlot, and Kadarka, and all of these are also bottled as single varietal wines.

At the start of the 21st century, Bikavér gained a white partner, Egri Csillag (‘Star of Eger’). Approximately 50 percent of the region’s vineyards are planted with white grapes and as no one variety dominates, so it was logical to make Egri Csillag a blend, in keeping with the region’s traditions. It is a very variable blend based on Carpathian-basin varieties, such as Olaszrizling, Hárslevelű, Leányka, Királyleányka, Zengő, Zenit and some Hungarian crossings. A minimum of four of these varieties must be included and make up at least 50 percent of the blend and each must represent a minimum of 5 percent. The blend may also include up to 30 percent of fragrant Muscat varieties, such as Cserszegi Füszeres, Zefír, Irsai Oliver, Tramini and Muscat Ottonel. With their blend of history, volcanic minerality, and native varietals, there’s a lot to explore in Eger’s cellars.

St. Andrea Winery and its father-son winemaking team— György Lőrincz Sr. and Jr.—must have won every wine award that exists in Hungary. Since founding the winery in 2002, the family has become arguably the top winery in the Eger region, and several of their wines are considered to be iconic labels in Hungary.

Although St. Andrea grows around twenty grape varieties, they put most of their passion and efforts into their blends: Egri Bikavér (“Bull’s Blood”) and Egri Csillag (“Star of Eger”). They were at the forefront of the Bull’s Blood revival—turning it from a bottom-shelf supermarket wine to a world class blend that really expresses the Eger terroir. And they were also among the first champions of Egri Csillag, Eger’s white wine answer to Bull’s Blood. St. Andrea produces around 200,000 bottles annually.

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