SEBESTYÉN CELLAR: SZEKSZÁRD WINE IN OUR STYLE

The valleys of Szekszárd are an exceptional place, and this remarkable terroir gives a unique character to our carefully cultivated wines. For 20 years, we have been developing our distinct style, using local and international grape varieties interpreted according to our ideas. While experimenting with various approaches, we produced the first premium, vineyard-selection wines from each growing area. By doing so, we fulfilled a decade-long dream: to show our unique, recognisable voice through bikavér wines.

In our vision, bikavér embodies the Szekszárd character, a perfect blend of history, tradition and a willingness to innovate in the search for perfection. Using the native varieties of kékfrankos and kadarka as the backbone, we create expressive and thoroughly contemporary wines year after year, while the addition of merlot and cabernet provides an instantly recognisable classic touch.

Sebestyén estate

We were not born into a family of winemakers. Twenty-five years of hard work and road-searching have led us to this point, where we now firmly believe that bikaver wines are the single best expression of the Szekszárd wine region. We attach great significance to the individuality and character of local varieties, and we aim to combine this with a modern winemaking approach while also benefitting from the ageing potential of international varieties.

“My sister and I have very similar tastes. We want to make balanced and sophisticated wines with only a touch of oak, which bring alive our regional character.” – Sebestyén Csaba

We have selected three vineyards with distinctly different characteristics, where – bearing in mind the diversity of Szekszárd – we can create what we believe to be our most expressive bikavér wines. These areas have made it possible to produce truly premium, vineyard-selected lots, depending on the vintage.

„Thanks to Csabi’s curiosity, we bottled the wine that used to be a mere family hobby. The final push towards bottling our wine came during a weekend fishing trip when a Hungarian sommelier friend working in France tasted our wine and really enjoyed it. After he told us more about the world’s best wines, we decided to make our big move. The most famous wines have been a great inspiration for him ever since.” – Csilla Sebestyén

We currently have 18 hectares under cultivation; our main varieties are kékfrankos and kadarka, which also provide the essence of our bikaver. The aim is to harvest the highest quality grapes every year, regardless of the weather conditions. To achieve this, we work with great care in the vineyards, including strict volume controls and effective preventive plant protection.

“My curiosity soon spread to my sister Csilla, who has continued training herself, and with a background in tourism economics, she has become an International Wineakademiker. She is now involved in blending, marketing and exporting our wines. Our mother, Edit, mainly helps us with the administration and our father, Ferenc, with logistics, viticulture and winemaking.” – Sebestyén Csaba

We are especially proud of our estate wine, Mozaik, a blend of several vineyards. It showcases the best of our wine region, bringing an authentic taste of Szekszárd to many places worldwide.

“Learning and development never stop. Following the values of the Sebestyén family, we will continue to do our utmost to bring out the best of nature’s potential in our bottles.” – Sebestyén Csilla

Style and quality

We focus on local varieties to create our bikavér, a unique red wine blend. Therefore we have primarily been planting kékfrankos, kadarka, merlot and cabernet since 2007. We determine the yields according to the characteristics of the vintage, which we “adjust” by selecting the bunches, while the harvest date is decided through laboratory analysis and tasting.

All harvesting is done by hand, so only the healthiest bunches are selected and picked for vinification.

• Our white and rosé wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks and are rapidly bottled to preserve their refreshing, juicy fruit flavours.

• Meanwhile, our red wines are fermented in open vats, with manual punching down. Following a short maceration, the wines are aged in oak barrels for a period of between 4 to 24 months.

A few years ago, we started implementing organic farming practices and we are now really interested in tasting the results. If these experiments work out, we will make all viticulture environmentally sustainable.

Our story

1998-2003: First steps
While winemaking started as nothing more than a hobby, we constantly evolve through dedication and hard work. Initially, our family cellar produced 7,000 bottles of wine a year from a total of 5.5 hectares, of which 3 hectares were our own.

2003-2012: From hobby to profession
In 2004, we decided it was worth developing our family winery, and we introduced the first bottles to the international markets during the same year. We also started to work and promote our wines with Bortársaság. It was a busy time, including significant land integrations, and we produced 70,000 bottles from 18 hectares under vine (9.5 hectares of which were directly owned).

2012-2017: Starring the bikavér
In addition to Iván Valley, new plantings in Porkoláb Valley created the necessary varietal composition for our second single-vineyard bikaver, while in 2017 we also produced the first bikaver from the newly integrated vineyards of Görögszó. Since then, we have made 70-90.000 bottles of wine annually.

2019: Born of the three single vineyard bikavér
2019 was an exceptional vintage when everything came together. We were able to produce outstanding bikavér wines from all three vineyards (Iván, Porkoláb, Görögszó). In addition to the ongoing renewal of vines, we also started new plantings in Görögszó.

VINEYARDS

Iván-valley

The shape of the southern caldera makes it an excellent growing area. Since it is not entirely open to the east, the sun reaches the vines later in the morning, providing the berries additional time to rest and sweeten, particularly useful in scorching hot years. The Ivan Valley is also sheltered from the wind and retains heat well, considerably aiding harvest in cool years. The wines made from this are elegant, with a long finish.

Grape varieties in Iván-valley:

Kadarka
Area: 0.6ha
Year of planting: 1950 and 2022
Training system: bush and cordon
Exposure: south and southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ (fossilised limestone)

Kékfrankos
Area: 0.8ha
Year of planting: 1976-1985
Training system: Guyot and cordon
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ (fossilised limestone)
Clone: KT1

Merlot
Area: 0.6ha
Year of planting: 2003 and 2006
Training system: cordon
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ (fossilised limestone)
Clone: C348

Cabernet Franc
Area: 0.35ha
Year of planting: 1995 and 2012
Training system: Guyot and single arm umbrella
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ (fossilised limestone)
Clone: E11

Cabernet Sauvignon
Area: 0.1ha
Year of planting: 1996
Training system: Guyot
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ (fossilised limestone)
Clone: E153

Görögszó

It is one of the hottest areas of the Szekszárd wine region. Completely open to the east, so the vines are exposed to sunlight from the early morning hours. The harvest timing requires extreme care, as the grapes can start to sprout early. The well-landscaped terraces soak up the summer rains, and the vines exploit red clay’s excellent water retention capacity in drought years. This is the ideal location for varieties that thrive in plenty of sunshine. The wines are full-bodied, with long ageing potential.
Currently, 3.1 hectares of the 4.8 hectares are planted. We aim to complete the remaining terraces in 2024.

Kadarka
Area: 0.5ha
Year of planting: 2020 and 2022
Training system: cordon
Exposure: east
Soil: loess with red clay
Clone: P9, P115, P122, P123, P124, P131

Cabernet Franc
Area: 0.35ha
Year of planting: 2022
Training system: cordon
Exposure: east
Soil: loess with red clay
Clone: E11

Porkoláb-valley

Our areas are mainly located on the southwestern side of the valley, where vines can enjoy the sun from mid-morning until sunset. Our cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon varieties ripen beautifully both on the steeper part of the vineyard and closer to the valley’s floor. The combination of grapes from these two areas can produce wines with firm acidity and moderate alcohol levels, even in warmer vintages. We planted kadarka on the higher slopes to protect it from autumn humidity. This vineyard yields elegant wines with a distinct mineral character.

Kadarka
Area: 0,1ha
Year of planting: 2017
Training system: bush
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ and red clay
Clone: P122,P123,P124,P131

Kékfrankos
Area: 0,9ha
Year of planting: 2017
Training system: Guyot
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ and red clay
Clone: KT1, A41

Merlot
Area: 0,25ha
Year of planting: 2012
Training system: cordon
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ and red clay
Clone: C348

Cabernet Franc
Area: 0,8ha
Year of planting: 2012
Training system: Guyot
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ and red clay
Clone: E11

Cabernet Sauvignon
Area: 0.6ha
Year of planting: 2012
Training system: Guyot
Exposure: southeast
Soil: loess with limestone ‘dolls’ and red clay
Clone: E153