Heimann conquers the international wine scene

A Kékfrankos that ‘lights up the skies’‘

Very fine tannins are married to a mineralic acidity that lights up the very heavens in the explosive finish.’ This is how Stuart Pigott, writing on on the wine review platform jamessuckling.com, describes the spicy Kékfrankos, from a vineyard whose name refers to ‘my heart’ in Hungarian (and not without good reason). Pigott mentions a touch of spritz that brings vibrancy to the remarkable Kékfrankos, along with a fantastic interplay of elderberry, smoke and moist earth on the nose. The single-vineyard Kékfrankos is charming already, but shows even greater potential for cellaring. Pigott suggests 2024 as the optimal tine frame for pulling the cork. The grapes for Kékfrankos Szívem 2019 grew on fifty-year-old vines, harvested from a distinct parcel in the vineyard Baranya-Völgy, where the clusters enjoy plenty of sunshine. The southeast-facing valley opens up to the Great Hungarian Plain, which ensures that the grapes ripen early and yield juicy, aromatic wines. The historic vineyard was restructured in 2009 and has been one of the jewels in the crown of the estate ever since. Its old vines are the Heimann family’s most highly prized possession, which is why the grapes are harvested in several passes to ensure optimal quality.

Pioneering work that pays off

Heimann has been doing pioneering work in matters of terroir for several years now, enriching the world of fine wines with sophisticated bottlings from a corner of Hungary that is unknown to many, if not to most. He owes his initial international successes to his boundless dedication and his first-class training in Geisenheim, Montpellier and Udine. He gained formative experiences in an international variety of vineyards, and has always retained his fascination for the unmistakable flavour of a single specific origin. After returning to his native winegrowing region Szekszárd, Zoli decided to start his own line at his parents’ estate, producing complex wines for sophisticated palates under the name Heimann & Fiai. In order to unlock the full potential of his homeland, he began to immerse himself in the autochthonous expression of its origins, and has become particularly devoted to the native vine Kadarka. Zoltán has focused his efforts on the delicate variety and grows it to vinify two wines from varying sites.

The powerful counterpart to Kadarka is the spicy Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch), which possesses the laudable characteristic of precisely reflecting its origins in soil and microclimate. Zoltán articulates this quality of the remarkable variety with four Kékfrankos from different terroirs. In order to be able to accentuate the differences in origin as fully as possible, his wines are matured in large, neutral oak casks or amphorae.

Zoli exclusively vinifies grapes from his own vineyards for these sleek wines, carefully selected and harvested by hand. They are fermented spontaneously with whole clusters and then remain on the must for up to twenty-four days. His alternative method of fermentation ensures unparalleled freshness and intensity of flavour. In order to achieve ideal growing conditions for his vines, Heimann has avoided using pesticides and herbicides for years now. And none of his wines have more than 13.5% alcohol by volume, which gives them a pleasant lightness. Heimann’s silky wines reach the consumer unfined and minimally filtered. According to Zoltán, preserving the expression of origin, the least possible intervention by the cellarmaster and great precision in vinification are the keys to the unaffected and straightforward character of his wines.