Advent Wine Challenge Day 3: Bazaltkő Pincészet Kéknyelű
Today’s Advent wine comes from Bazaltkő Pincészet in Hungary and features a favorite grape of mine: Kéknyelű.
Found primarily in Badacsony, it’s an old grape that fell out of popularity but has been making a comeback in the region. Kéknyelű is late-ripening, low-yielding, plagued with poor fruit set, and requires a lot of work in the vineyard. Especially since it needs another variety to pollinate as it has only female flowers. This would be part of the reason it fell out of favor. It’s also why it’s known locally as the gentleman’s grape’ (on the assumption only someone of affluence could afford to bother with it).
Advent Day 3
Bazaltkő Pincészet Kéknyelű, 2013
I’d love to say I aged this, but I’d be lying. At most, it made it two years in my cellar before I opened it which means I got lucky enough to buy it already pretty aged. My Hungarian wine friends always advise me to keep any Badachony Kéknyelű for a few years before drinking. Very Riesling-esque in that way.
Pale, cool lemon with green glints in the glass and a bouquet of candied citrus zest and green apples. Sipping revealed almost searing, racy acidity with an explosion of freshly squeezed lime juice and zest, green apple. Seriously all the malic acid you could ever want was in my glass. Bone dry finish.
I’s paired this with spicy ginger roasted tomatoes, roasted salmon, and harissa carrots and it went pretty well with all of it.