KISS GÁBOR
364 Rouge 2018

Throughout the summer I was overjoyed that it was going to be such an easy vintage in Villány. It was a warm, dry, Mediterranean summer that was full of sunshine. However, the fruit ripened completely differently than I’d anticipated: I started the harvest in mid-September and until I finished at the end of October, I selected the four raw materials, the Cab Franc, the Merlot, the Cab Sauvignon and – for the first time this year – the Kékfrankos, in two to three pickings. The fermentation was nice and healthy, then following filtering and fining, as a finished wine it was put into 225- and 500-litre French barrels, but only for such a length of time that the oak could leave enough room for this year’s explosive fruitiness. I used its fourth component, Kékfrankos, for the first time, partly for its spice but even more for its rich and complex acidity. It didn’t disappoint: it gives another twist to this everyday wine, which I dare to say because I had two glasses of it yesterday as well.” - Gábor Kiss, winemaker.