St. Andrea Winery
Eger Region
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.
“Áldás” Egri Bikavér Superior, 2020
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 aged in 300 liter and 2,500 liter used Hungarian oak barrels for 18 months. It has a magnificent balance, showing the ability of a great winemaker, even during a warm year like 2018. Wines like this make 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, 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 (14.5 percent alcohol). It will evolve in your glass beautifully, showing increasing leathery, oaky aromas with time. 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.
“Hangács” Egri Bikavér Grand Superior, 2018
Grand Superior is the highest quality level an Egri Bikavér (“Bull’s Blood”) can be. The classification levels refer to the wine’s concentration and time spent ageing in oak—starting at Classicus, moving into Superior (like Áldás), and finishing with Grand Superior. At the Grand Superior level yields are low, making the fruit more concentrated. Hangács is a blend coming from several vineyards around Eger, including the Hangács vineyard that the wine is named for. Like every Bikavér, Hangács is a blend based on the Kékfrankos variety (31 percent), also with Cabernet Franc (27 percent), Merlot (24 percent), Pinot Noir (12 percent), and Kadarka (8 percent). It was aged for 16 months in 500-liter Hungarian oak barrels. This wine (14.5 percent alcohol) shows a concentrated, rich, age-worthy style of Bikavér. It is driven by cassis, blackcurrant, and plum flavors and aromas. Oak ageing gives it spiciness, with lovely nutmeg, cigar, cocoa, and leather flavors. This wine can benefit from decanting, and will continue to evolve in your cellar (if you can resist the temptation) for up to a decade or more. Hangács Bikavér shows that even a cold-climate region like Eger—in northeastern Hungary—can produce rich and opulent red wines, with the region’s typical distinctive freshness and acidity. Game meat, stews, steaks, and aged cheeses would be great options to pair with this wine.
Rosa Mystica, 2020
This rosé from St. Andrea Winery in Eger is a blend of the Kékfrankos (86 percent) and Zweigelt (14 percent) varieties. Kékfrankos is Hungary’s most planted grape, and the superstar of the Eger region. Kékfrankos has a vibrant acid structure and pure red fruit characters, which make it capable of making first-class rosés such as this Rosa Mystica. The Kékfrankos and Zweigelt wines were fermented separately, and then aged separately in stainless steel for three months before blending. The grapes come from several vineyards located all around the Eger region, planted on the region’s characteristic volcanic tuff soil. This wine is a beautiful, intense, bright cherry color, with pink reflections. On the nose, it has aromas of cherry, cranberry, rosehips, and rose petals. Its razor-sharp acidity and crisp texture will surprise you. On the palate, this beautiful rosé has a little tannic grip—another surprise—with pomegranate and cranberry flavors. It’s an overall refreshing, light, and surprising wine. Enjoy it with cheese, charcuterie, a grilled cheese sandwich, pizza, and quiche.
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“Boldogságos” Egri Csillag Grand Superior, 2018
Egri Csillag is the white sister of the traditional red Bikavér. Inspired by the Bikavér blend and the region’s long history of blends, several winemakers (including St. Andrea) created the Egri Csillag style in 2010. Like Bikavér, Egri Csillag must be a blend of at least four white varieties. Local varieties must comprise at least 50 percent, and it must have a maximum of 30 percent of aromatic varieties. As with Bikavér, there are three quality levels: Classicus, Superior, and Grand Superior. This is a Grand Superior (14 percent alcohol), coming from the Boldogságos vineyards, located in Egerszólát. Winemaker György Lőrincz made this blend from Olaszrizling (35 percent), Sauvignon Blanc (29 percent), Hárslevelű (20 percent), and Furmint (16 percent). Forty percent of the wine was aged in 500 liter barrels, and the rest in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness. There are creamy, vanilla aromas from the oak, mixed with dried herbs, chamomile, and tarragon. Its crisp acidity will surprise you, and it gives a terrific balance to the richness of the oak. This complex wine will develop both in your cellar, and in your glass. You can even be bold and decant it. Try it with rich seafood like lobster, scallops, and shrimp. Fried meat and buttery sauces are also a great pairing.
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