Vinous Obscura ‘Kek-Bika’ Austro-Hungarian Red
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Incredible freshness, it screams of blue fruits and a spice that comes from loess and volcanic soils.
- ‘Kek Bika’ is a co-fermentation of traditional Hungarian grapes that were recently planted in the hills above Forest Grove, Oregon. This mix of grapes is common in many of the famous red wines from Hungary, Czech Republic, and Austria. Some of these grapes are planted in the Northwest for the first time.
- Vine age is 9 years.
- Low intervention farming.
Varietal: Blend – Agria (Teran), Kekfrankos (Blaüfrankish), Zweigelt, Rondo
Elaboration: Hand harvested. Skin contact 13 days. Aged in used Hungarian oak barrels. Fermentation in neutral Hogs Heads for 9 months.
Tasting Notes: Deep blue/garnet color, blue fruits, floral aromatics, and a clean refreshing finish. This is a highly enjoyable, easily drinkable red wine.
PRESS
2022 – 90 Wine Enthusiast
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The Vinous Obscura brand from Golden Cluster is centered around grapes sourced from two experimental nurseries and vineyards. One is on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge and the other in Forest Grove in the Northern Willamette Valley.
There are over 200 different grape varietals between both vineyards. In some cases, these are the first ever plantings of these grapes in the USA, others are the first on the West Coast, some are rare clones. This grower has decades of grape growing and winemaking experience in New York state and belongs to a network of growers and academic organizations who work together to establish the viability of certain grapes in different soils, climates, and regions. Golden Cluster is making some of the first commercial wines from these rare grapes.
Golden Cluster, of Willamette Valley, Oregon is the vision of owner/winemaker Jeff Vejr. Established in 2013, all of Vejr’s wines are produced under the Golden Cluster umbrella, but Golden Cluster also represents some individual wineries throughout the area.
Today, Veijr produces his wines at the David Hill Winery, which was originally the Charles Coury Vineyard & Winery, one of the first vineyards planted in Willamette Valley after Prohibition. David Hill provides him with the “uncommon grapes” he sources and most of these were planted between 1966-72. The Golden Cluster name is a nod to the memory of Charles Coury and the Semillon grape variety.