Kéknyelű
Probably Badacsony, Hungary
A rare native of Lake Balaton's volcanic north shore: high in acidity and mineral, and a low-yielding vine that ages into smoky, nutty, honeyed wines.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Rare
Climate
Moderate climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Hungary
Balaton (Badacsony)
Grown mainly on the volcanic slopes of Badacsony on the northern shore, in small quantities, for mineral, long-lived whites.
Background
Origin & History
The name means 'blue stalk' and refers to the slightly blue tinge of the leaf stalk. It is an old variety, probably from the Badacsony area, though some historical research points to the Somló hills instead, and it has been grown around Lake Balaton for centuries. It was long thought to be the same grape as Italy's Picolit, but a 2006 study using isoenzymes and microsatellites showed the two are different. Its parentage is unknown.
It is a fickle, low-yielding vine, and it almost vanished in the communist era, when higher-yielding grapes replaced it. Today only a few dozen hectares are planted, mostly on the volcanic slopes of Badacsony. Young wines show peach, citrus, mineral and floral notes with high acidity, and older ones develop smoky, nutty, honeyed depth.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Kéknyelű is an old variety of unknown origin.
No crossings involving Kéknyelű are documented in the collection yet.