Szászi Birtok Badasconyi Kéknyelű
Last summer during a trip to Hungary, I discovered a new (to me) grape: Kéknyelű. Little is known about this grape’s history. What I know for certain though is that it makes knock out wine.
Kéknyelű, which is actually pretty fun to say, fell out of favor in Hungary after the second world war because of how difficult it is to grow. A naturally late-ripening grape, it gives low yields with poor fruit set. It’s also one of those odd grapes that needs another variety to help pollinate it. According to Taste Hungary, which introduced me to the grape, for this reason locals have long referred to it as the “gentleman’s grape…Since the local peasants could not rely on such a poor yielding grape for their livelihoods, they thought that only gentleman could afford to cultivate such a fickle variety!”
The grape is slowly making a comeback with the largest concentration of plantings in the volcanic soils of Hungary’s Badascony PDO. Plantings remain extremely limited making it not such an easy wine to hunt down. But I promise you that it is entirely worth it. I bought a bottle by Szászi Birtok from Taste Hungary and I think it was my absolute favorite of all the wines I had from that trip.
Szászi Birtok Badasconyi Kéknyelű, 2017
Made with organic grapes and with spontaneous fermentation, Szászi Birtok’s Badasconyi Kéknyelű shone a clear, bright hay gold in the glass.
Aromas were medium intense but clean and true revealing red apple, apple blossoms, a faint breadiness, dry honey, and peach. I took a sip and “oh damn.” Which I actually wrote in my tasting notes.
Sparkling acidity sent ripples of honeycomb, blossom, and peach flavors across the tongue and a thread of vivid electricity running down the spine. Light in body but not in character, it is a quite powerhouse. This wine tells you that it may be floral and fruity but to not underestimate it.
With moderate alcohol at 12.5% abv and a long finish, this was one of the most exciting wines I’ve had in a very long time. A real vino da meditazione. There are so many reasons I want to return to Hungary, but getting another bottle of this is well at the top of the list.