Bona fide Hungarian
There has been (and certainly will be) endless discussions about what should be the Hungarian wine like, instead of examining first the perception of the consumer (not the domestic market). After decades of debate this job remains undone and the place for the Hungarian wine in the world of wines is yet to be found. Some suggested diversity for key selling point of the Hungarian wine, which is, of course, almost as brainy as if Starbacks started working on his image as an authentic local coffee shop.
Do I know the answer? No. But I’d be very happy if the widely neglected Turán played a somewhat major role in shaping the Hungarian wine’s future. For skeptics, I’d like to refer to Szecskő’s, and Luka Enikő Turán 2009 is not much behind either.
Luka Enikő – Turán, 2009
Deep ruby with a dark core, but not as dark as one might expect from a grape that is widely used for giving other wines a darker tone. The bouquet is dense but not too intense, with elderberry(!) and a hint of mulberry marmalade.
On the palate dense but well-balanced with well integrated subtle acidity. Although very young, this Turán has ripe, soft and tasty tannins. Full-bodied wine with a tasty gentle sour tannic finish.
Good wine with an aging potential of at least a 3-5 years.
Unfortunately like good wines of countries with limited gastronomic and wine culture as ours, this comes at a price, reinforcing Luka as one of the most overrated winemakers.
Luka – Kékfrankos, 2008
Kékfrankos is probably the second most abused widely used varietal in Hungarian post-war winemaking (Zweigelt tops the list). Oddly enough, in Sopron nobody seems to care as it’s still the flagship grape in the area but I must admit I’m still waiting for the Kékfrankos that will prove they’re right. Most experts put Luka among those who are to (or have already) proved my skepticism unfounded.
The review
Pale ruby. Warm, spicy nose with notes of cranberry. Thin body but with some extract sweetness supported by a light salty mineral element and a fine string of tannin. Well rounded wine, with a bit loose structure but well balanced. Mineral texture. It’s an overall pleasant wine but evidently overpriced.
Score: 5 points
HUF 4 150
