Malatinszky, Kúria Cabernet Franc, 2013

Malatinszky Kúria, Villány Region

“A mind-blowing Cabernet Franc that conclusively proves that Cabernet Franc has a new home in Hungary,” wrote wine critic James Suckling on this Cabernet Franc, “and is also the finest Hungarian red wine I’ve ever encountered.” Csaba Malatinszy, who opened his winery in 1997 after shifting careers from sommelier to winemaker, makes three classes of wines: Signature, Noblesse, and Kúria, with Kúria wines (such as this one) being his top quality level. They are from single vineyards, with grapes selected by parcel. One of the things we love most about Malatinszky’s wines is that while most wineries just talk about aging potential, they end up selling all of their wine too young, before that potential gets realized. Malatinszky cellars his wines, with the goal of having a portfolio of older vintages. “From the beginning I had the idea that I would sell older wines, not just sell everything as soon as it was made.” This is a very concentrated wine, with a wonderful density, very fine tannins, and a nice acidity that gives it an unexpected freshness for a ten year-old wine. This wine benefits from being decanted. Give yourself some time and patience with it so it can open up. When it opens up, you’ll be rewarded with the flavors you’d get from a wild berry patch and an herb garden. There’s thyme and oregano, turning into lavender and eucalyptus as the wine opens up. This is an organic and vegan wine, which was unfined and unfiltered, aged in a mixture of new and previously used 500 liter Hungarian oak barrels for 18 months. It’s such an elegant wine, worthy of accompanying a special occasion dinner, either with the main course or next to a nice selection of aged cheese.

Read About The Villány Region

Read About Cabernet Franc