2022 Kadarka Gravitation

As we were walking along the streets of Sremski Karlovci, Oszkár told us that it pains him that there’s “so much history but so little identity” here at the moment. This was a village that once boasted over 500 cellars devoted entirely to local sorts, notably Kadarka, and now there are barely 27 cellars showcasing 95% international grapes. He even noted a few of these beautifully ornate protruding windows designed to highlight how many barrels were for sale by hanging a correlating number of grape clusters. This wine is a sine qua non for what’s been forgotten in this area. Largely sourced from the 1st class Nagy-Krisztus vineyard with a little from Krisztus, this is hyper concentration 250 grams per vine botrytis afflicted Kadarka. Picked nearly overripe, it then spends 2 weeks on the skins followed by a year in barrel. Bottled unfiltered by gravity with zero additions. Oszkár is a firm believer that 90% of harmful oxidation in sulfur free wines is caused during bottling. So while gravity and filling with small hoses is 4 times slower and more labor intensive, it’s worth it.