Szent Donát, Magma Kékfrankos 2018

Blaüfrankisch (Kékfrankos, in Hungary) seems to like the warmer pannonian climate that lives around large freshwater lakes. In Austria, some of its most profound expressions are found around the northern shores of Lake Neusiedl. Farther east (and farther into historic Pannonia), you’ll find the largest freshwater lake in all of Central Europe. In Central Hungary, at the center of a region known as Transdanubia, sits Lake Balaton. On the northern shore of this lake, the wine-crazy town of Csopak is home to the Kovács family and their gastronomically-inclined estate, Szent Donát (Saint Donat, an ancient Roman-Catholic figure). There is an affluent, nearly royal sort of air to these towns, and that’s no coincidence. The volcanic Tihany Peninsula from which some of this Kékfrankos is grown and sourced - one of the only growing areas where red wines are permitted within Csopak’s certification - is where some of the wealthiest citizens of Hungary live, and where the Habsburg Imperial Family’s once-summer residence still stands. An area of deep and complex history that produces equally deep and complex wines - especially this rare red cuvée. Producing Hill Wines (multiple-site-sourced) and Single-Vineyard wines, this is Szent Donát’s Magma, Hill, Kékfrankos. 

If Loire Cab Franc had a zany, distant Hungarian relative visiting on spring break, it would be in the form of this wine. On the nose: black currant and crushed sour cherries steeped in a mixture of rosemary, thyme and black pepper. On the palate: light to medium body, cranberries and currants. Vibrant acidity. Chill this to just below room temp, decant, and let it open up a bit. Perfect accompaniment to a summer vegetable stir-fry. 

Vinification: 100% Kékfrankos hand-harvested from 3 different vineyard sites whose soil is made up of a combination of basalt, tuff, limestone, and volcanic sandstone. The juice is gently and slowly pressed after a short maceration and undergoes spontaneous fermentation with only native yeasts in open-top vats. Aged 10 months in french barrel. Unfined, unfiltered, bottled with no additional SO2. 

Tasting: If Loire Cab Franc had a zany, distant Hungarian relative visiting on spring break, it would be in the form of this wine. On the nose: black currant and crushed sour cherries steeped in a mixture of rosemary, thyme and black pepper. On the palate: light to medium body, cranberries and currants. Vibrant acidity. Chill this to just below room temp, decant, and let it open up a bit. Perfect accompaniment to a summer vegetable stir-fry.