The winter months are the perfect time to explore sweet wines. Their viscosity, length and ultimate natural sweetness are ideal attributes to take the chill out of the air. I have to confess, I’m a fan of “Sweet Nectar," “Stickies” or “Liquid Gold” as the category is commonly referred to. However, one elixir that truly stands out for me is Hungarian Tokaji and the house putting this rare and historic beverage in the forefront is the Royal Tokaji Wine Company.
Like many great beverages, Hungarian Tokaji was created accidently in the early 1600s. In 1700, Prince Rakoczi of Transylvania passed a decree to classify certain noted vineyards in the northeastern part of the country as 1st Growth, 2nd Growth and 3rd Growth. The Tokaji region was technically the first European viticultural region to institute a vineyard classification system, so move over Bordeaux. Over the years, Tokaji Aszú (ah-SOO) has been a status symbol enjoyed by many royal courts from Louis XIV of France to the Russian Czars. It has been well documented that the Cossacks protected the most precious nectar, “Aszú Essencia,” while it was in transport to the Czar’s Palace in St. Petersburg.
After the fall of Communism in the late 1980s, the region started to make a comeback from decades of neglect. Noted English wine author Hugh Johnson and several others invested in one of the most esteemed wineries and its claim to top cru-rated vineyards. In 1989, The Royal Tokaji Wine Company was reborn, marking the beginning of the “Tokaji Renaissance” during which millions of dollars have been reinvested in the region, a recently designated World Heritage Site.
Similar to Sémillon from the Sauternes district, Tokaji fruit is susceptible to Botrytis Cinerea, (noble rot), due to mists that form at the confluence of the Tisza and Bodrog Rivers. The noble rot dries and shrivels the three notable varietals of the region: Furmint, Hárslevelú and Muscat. Tokaji Aszú has several categories of sweetness based on the measurement of noble rot-affected grapes that are kneaded into a paste and transported in 20-liter wooden tubs called “puttonyo.” The more puttonyos, the sweeter and more syrupy the wine base, which is marked on a 1 to 6 scale. It’s quite apparent that quality starts to kick in when you get to the “5 Puttonyos,” “6 Puttonyos” and “Essencia” levels; the finished product is priced accordingly.
I go bonkers for this stuff and am jazzed that we have three Royal Tokaji Wine Company Aszú(s) on the site, listed below. My mouth starts to water when I think about this rare juice. I refer to it as my “liquid strudel!” Why? I always get a golden raisin nuance throughout the palate spectrum. No other dessert wine category overloads my senses with a combination of flowery aromatics paired with apples, quince, apricots, marmalade and golden raisins. It’s common to detect back palate notes of butterscotch, carmely-brown sugar, honeyed nuts and a dash of chocolate on more aged versions. It’s possible to put a stopwatch on the super long and balanced finish, a true indication of a top-notch dessert wine. These wines are long-lived from the collector's standpoint. It has been documented that an Essencia bottling can age over a century!
I recommend pairing a 4 Puttonyos Aszú with a starter course of seared foie gras or duck liver terrine. The natural high acidity of the wine will cut through the fat of these preparations amazingly well. For the higher level of Puttonyos of 5 and 6 and then the rare Essencia, I suggest simple fruit tart preparations or, with more aged versions, a simple chocolate preparation or aged blue cheese. These wines are ideal food pairing candidates based on their low alcohol levels, which range from 8.5% to 10%. The rare and precious Essencia can be served on its own and quite often is portioned and served on a special tasting spoon!
Vinfolio is proud to showcase:
1999 Aszú Essencia - $449/500ml.
1993 and 1999 will go down as the best and only vintages that the Essencia category was made by the house. Because of its high residual sugar level, (600g/L), this wine fermented for six years and only tipped the scale at 2.9% alcohol. This could arguably be the most precious dessert wine in the world. Move over Château d’Yquem! You can be one of the few to take stock of only 600 bottles imported into the states.
2000 Tokaji Aszú ‘5 Puttonyos’ Birsalmas- $48/500ml. ~ Wine Spectator 94 points
A blend of all three noble varietals and aged in Hungarian oak for 5 years. Only 100 cases imported to the states. Birsalmas is a single vineyard that translates to “quince.” Thus, the dominating fruit characteristic is indeed quince, backed with carmelized pear and pineapple.
1995 Tokaji Aszú ‘6 Puttonyos’ Mézes Mály- $103/500ml. ~ Wine Spectator 92 points
The Mézes Mály vineyard is one of the most noted 1er Cru vineyards of the district. Many consider it the most floral bottling of the house. Orange blossoms and fresh honey abound with a splash of juicy white peach and baked apple. The vineyard name, translated, means “honey pot." Say no more!
