KREINBACHER | Juhfark | 2020
juhfark

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Today we are also going to review a single-varietal juhfark wine that comes from the relatively unknown Nagy-Somló region of Hungary – Juhfark 2020 by Kreinbacher. Juhfark (which translates as ‘sheep’s tail‘) is a very rare hungarian grape variety, mostly grown on the famous volcanic soils in the Nagy-Somló sub-region around the Balaton lake. Even though the Nagy-Somló sub-region is only 300 hectares, it is located on an extinct volcanic butte (at about 90 miles west of Budapest) where it benefits of a trully unique terroir, with black basalt bedrock, that is the remnant of ancient lava flows, with a topsoil rich in loess, clay and sand. This unique terroir results in some of the smokiest and most fiery white wines in the world. Juhfark makes white wines that can be described as ashy, savory and fierce, with nuanced flavors of lemon, smoke and wheat and a mineral-driven intensity on the palate. This particular wine has been aged for 8 months partially in stainless steel tanks and partially in oak barrels in order to gain even more aromatic complexity and body structure. That said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: medium-deep pastel yellow color
clarity: clear and bright yellow hues on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & yeasty-leesy
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits
__green fruits: sour apple | yellow apple | asian pear | gooseberry
__citrus fruits: lemon | pomelo | kiwi | lime | lemon peel | white grapefruit | lemon zest
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: yeast | earth
__yeast: lees | yeast 
__earth: chalk | basalt | sulphur
primary layer: fruity-yeasty

//Palate
sweetness: bone dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: soft
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: supple & lean

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits & citrus
fruit character: ripe & underripe
non fruit: yeasty & earthy
finish: medium
aftertaste: zesty-crisp

//Scoring
KREINBACHER | Juhfark | 2020
variety: juhfark
country: Hungary
region: Balaton | Nagy-Somló
rating: 93.1

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or within the next 2 years
verdict: great | a must try wine
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This is definitely a great wine of Hungary and with a total of 93.1 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a quite lean, supple and refreshingly crisp juhfark wine with nuanced autolysis notes on the nose and a quite zesty accent on the palate. The wine is right there, at the peak of its prime form, therefore we’s recommend to drink it today or within the next 2 years, in order to enjoy it at its finest, just make sure not to overdo it, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine delivers ripe citrus and green fruit notes in the foreground, followed by yeasty-leesy hints in the background and a subtle earthy-mineral layer in between. On the palate the wine brings exuberant acidity and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves into a zesty and crisp aftertaste. All in all, this a very appealing and well structured juhfark wine, that feels harmonious and round – a wine with a very nice balance between all its elements. We believe this wine will pair lovely with citrus-based summer salads, like for example a pear and lemon salad, or a mango and lime salad. Egészségére!

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