Description
Cabernet Franc has come to represent the Villány region. This variety is so strongly attached to the region that, if it is produced in a Premium or Super Premium style, it can not even be labelled as simply Cabernet Franc. It becomes a Villányi Franc. The region’s love affair with the grape goes back to the beginning of the 2000s, when the late Michael Broadbent (a Master of Wine), visited the region. After tasting all of their wines, he wrote an article in Decanter magazine declaring that Cabernet Franc had finally found its home in Villány. Villány’s appellation system, DHC (Districtus Hungaricus Controllatus), distinguishes three levels of quality for the wines of the area: Classicus, Superior, and Super Premium. This wine is a Super Premium, which is a category created exclusively for Cabernet Franc. It requires grapes to come from extremely low-yielding vineyards (maximum 35 hectoliters/hectare) and to undergo at least two years of aging (including one year in oak barrels). These grapes were sourced from the Ördögárok vineyard, one of the most highly regarded in the region. Ördögárok means “basin of the devil” because it is a south-facing basin, surrounded by mountains in a way that traps the warm air arriving from the Adriatic sea. This vineyard produces the region’s most concentrated, rich, full-bodied wines. With an extremely low yield of only 25 hectoliters/hectare, this concentrated wine bursts with aromas of violets, juicy blackberries, chocolate, and cocoa powder. On the palate, it is a full-bodied wine (14.5 percent alcohol) with hazelnut, blackberry juice, and floral flavors. This wine can benefit from some additional aging, but it is also very delicious right now. Steak with a spicy, peppery sauce can be a great pairing, as well as charcuterie, or spicy jam.
