50 bottles still available from „virgin harvest” 2008

The current vintage of Grand Bleu is 2011, you can find details here. The plantation of this Kékfrankos vineyard took place in 2004, thus 2008 is the very first vintage, the so called „virgin harvest”. Virgin harvest has always have a special added value, no matter where it comes from, because it can never be repeated. But in this case the „virgin wine” is much more than just the first wine of a vineyard. Only 300 bottles were made, only 100 bottles are left, and now 50 bottles are available for collectors. Dr. Gabriella Mészáros AIWS and wine writer was astonished by the wine: „Dignified, cool elegance on the nose with luscious mint, thyme and basil, however the true magic comes with the palate: silky texture, vibrant acidity, gently spiced fruitiness. Perfection itself. Probably angels participated in making this wine…?”
So now is the must-not-miss opportunity to order the very last bottles of this first vintage, only 50 bottles are available. Only 49. Only 48…

Order here: noemi@kovacsnimrodwinery.com

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More about Nagy Eged – unique soil and mesoclimate

Nagy-Eged is part of Bükk mountain, it is 536 meters high. It’s within easy reach from the town of Eger, thus a popular hiking route with the national „Red Route” crossing it. Its diverse flora and fauna makes it even more attractive, and also ideal for kite riders. But for us its most remarkable because of its unique climate and soil, which makes Nagy-Eged the „grand cru” of Eger and has the capacity to give wines classified Grand Superior.

The soil is grey limestone despite of riolit tufa of the rest of Eger wine region. Rendzina soil and brown forest soil is also typical. As for the climate: the heat of the Great Plain meets the coolness of Bükk mountains here, and it results a mesoclimate with early spring and a large number of sunny, hot days (more than 100 days with a temperature of 25 Celsius). Annual rainfall is 540–550 mm. Southern slopes of 20–35% steepness. (Rendsina soils are humus-rich shallow soils that are usually formed from carbonate – or occasionally sulfate-rich parent material. Rendzina soils are often found in karst and mountainous regions. The term rendzina originated from an old Polish word “rzędzić”, which means “to chatter”. Soils of this type contain a significant amount of gravel and stones, which, during ploughing, produce various sound effects (clicking, screeching, etc.), i.e., “talk” to the ploughman.)

Devasteted, now thriving

The emblematic mountain has a 1000 year old history of grape growing, since our first king, Saint Stephen brought cistercian monks here who grew grapes on the mountain. The first written evidence is from the 13th century, and the golden age must have been in the 18th century, when Nagy-Eged was famous for its outstanding wines. Then unfortunately phylloxera destroyed all the vineyards of the mountain. A small replanting took place in the 1950s, but soon the new vineyards were abandoned, because the mass production concept of the communist era did not find them economical.

When the wine renessaince took place in the 1990s, Nagy-Eged could hope in the revival. Finally Gróf Buttler Winery took the efforts to first replant vines on Nagy-Eged. The 18 hectares were replanted in 2003. Later, in 2005 Kovács Nimród Winery also planted 10 hectares for their best wines, and then St Andrea Vineyard 4 hectares.