2HA, Cabernet Franc, 2019

2HA Winery, Badacsony Region

Cabernet Franc is the darling grape of Villány, Hungary’s southernmost region. Since it gets so much attention in Villány, people often forget (or don’t realize) that the grape is grown all over the country—even in surprising places like the volcanic Badacsony region, on the northern side of Lake Balaton. This Cab Franc is a very different experience than the more outspoken southern versions. The volcanic soil greatly impacts the wine’s style, and Badacsony’s terroir has created a really enjoyable and elegant Cab Franc. The 2HA Winery is named so because it started out with just two hectares of organic vineyards on Szentgyörgy hill (Badacsony’s iconic flat-topped hill). The winery has now doubled in size, but kept the name. Fermentation was spontaneous in open vats, and then the wine was aged in small oak barrels (225 liters) for one year. Winemaker Csaba Török didn’t touch it during this time, and then racked it into a stainless steel tank where he kept it undisturbed for six more months, with the sediment naturally collecting at the bottom. It was then bottled unfined and unfiltered. This wine has a gorgeously dark and deep color, with a much more restrained nose than the Cab Francs of the south. It has notes of blackberries, plums, cinnamon, and spices. The Badacsony terroir makes itself evident with the acidity, tannins, and spicy minerality, as well as the enticing  medicinal herbal notes. This is not a fruit-forward wine like the Cab Francs of the south. But it’s an easy wine to love. Try it with duck or lamb.

Read About The Badacsony Region | Read About Cabernet Franc