Royal Tokaji Blue Label 5 Puttonyos Aszu 50cl

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Fine Tokaji wines became almost extinct when Hungary fell under Communist rule after the 1939-1945 war when quantity replaced quality. Their renaissance was triggered by the crumbling of Communism and the founding of The Royal Tokaji Wine Company in 1989, a joint-venture between local wine growers in the village of Mád and an inspired group of international investors. Historically Tokaji was a white wine from the region of Tokaj in the Kingdom of Hungary. Tokaji wine was mentioned as early as 1635 with reference to the sweet dessert aszú (botrytised) wine. Prior to the phylloxera epidemic in the 1880s, wine was grown in Tokaj from various types of mainly white grape varieties. In English and French the spelling "Tokay" [14] was commonly used. The Aszú berries were collected in large baskets called puttony and added in measured amounts to barrels of non-botrytis grape must. Then, the wines were produced and labeled based on how many Aszú baskets were added to the must. Thus, the system of labeling wines with ~3–6 puttonyos was developed. Dry Wines: The fine quality dry Tokaji Furmint is a relatively new development in the region. For centuries the main product of the area was the sweet wine, mainly the Botrytised selections. The dry Furmint got into the attention of wine connoisseurs and experts of the world when the Úrágya 2000 single vineyard selection had been introduced by István Szepsy. The wine expressed great minerality, complexity and structure, which has been experienced only in the finest white wines of historic regions like Burgundy or the Mosel before. The aging potential was also promising. In 2003 more producers of Mád village produced single vineyard selected dry Furmint wines with great success. Mád village with its almost 1200 ha had the opportunity to produce high quality dry Furmint wine in significant quantity as a commune level wine, which can express the unique volcanic terroir of the region, this wine is named after its appellation Mad and produced by István Szepsy Jr. in the Szent Tamás Winery.

Tokaji wine received accolades from numerous great writers and composers including Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert, Johann Strauss, Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Friedrich von Schiller, Voltaire and Bram Stoker. The composer Joseph Haydn’s favourite wine was Tokaji. A reputation – supported by various Popes – for health giving properties, as well as lore – explored in some depth by the alchemist Paracelsus – that the wines contained gold also helped the legend grow. Another fabulous year in the long history of Tokaji was 1975, which allowed the creation of a limited collection of Tokaji Eszencia. Professional critics and wine writers refer to this ‘immemorial’ style as a wine with a dark brown color (‘engine oil’) and a density significantly higher than that of maple syrup, complemented by a unique nose of candied fruits, honey, and daisies and an incredible balance between the 412 g/l of sugar and its high acidity. The finish is unforgettable and can express nothing but pure enthusiasm in one’s senses are caressed by aromas of orange peel, caramel, and raisins.

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The secret of our Tokaji Aszú lies in the wonderful acidity, which balances our extraordinary levels of sweetness. This combined with the incredible minerality of our volcanic soils makes our wines some of the easiest to spot in a blind tasting. In Bordeaux, the weather along the Garonne River is dank enough to produce the same noble rot essential to the wines of Sauternes. In Germany, the Mosel River provides the same conditions that affect Riesling grapes that are now part of the classification of German Riesling. Az elmúlt három évtized azzal telt, hogy vállalkozó szellemű borászok fáradságos munkával visszaszerezzék a tokaji bor világhírnevét. szőlőfajták tartoznak bele. Tokaj-Hegyalján, az alábbi fajták tartoznak a kiemelt, ajánlott fajták közé, The mission of The Royal Tokaji Wine Company was to restore quality and to make the finest wines of 5 “puttonyos” or more, so that once again Tokaji Aszu wines could be described in the hedonistic words of Louis XIV as, “The king of wine, and wine of kings”.

Royal Tokaji was founded in 1990 by well-known author Hugh Johnson and a small group of investors who were inspired to restore and preserve Hungary’s precious wine legacy after the fall of Communism. Tokaji is the world’s original sweet white wine – the “cult wine” of the 18th and 19th centuries – and the Tokaj wine region was the first to have classified vineyards. At the end of the 17th century, Prince Rakoczi classified the finest vineyards into: great first growths, first growths, second growths and third growths. Royal Tokaji owns five of those first and second growth vineyards, including one of Hungary’s two great first growths: Mézes Mály. Essencia wines are made from the viscous honey-like Aszú juice only, and are fermented in the underground cellars in glass jars, a transformation which can take more than six years due to a combination of the extremely cold atmosphere and intensely high sugar level in the grape juice. Great service does not happen by accident. Anything that can recognise its importance is fantastic. These people work hard and recognising talent and giving them that reward is very important. It’s wonderful to give them the opportunity to spend time with people like Silvano Giraldin – that has huge value for them. I also saw the Trustees getting real value from being with future talent. It’s a virtuous circle. Any fine wine should speak for itself and should delight without any need for understanding of things like soil types, grape varieties and wine-making. Having said that, any deeper knowledge can enhance this enjoyment even further. Understanding the wonderful volcanic soils of the region and the unique wine-making process helps to explain why our wines are so unique.

The Aszú berries are macerated with the must for approximately 48 hours. The ratio of must to Aszú berries dictates the level of sweetness. The blend, now “Tokaji Aszú” is run off into stainless steel tanks or oak casks and fermented until it reaches the final balance. Selected overripe and botrytised grapes are harvested by hand and brought to the winery in small harvesting bins, to avoid crushing during transport and oxidation.

Producers may still use the phrase “6 Puttonyos” to signify an Aszú wine with 150+ grams/liter of residual sugar. Wines between 120–150 grams/liter of sugar are now labeled as Tokaji Aszú. Of course, you may see wines still labeled with 3 and 4 puttonyos for marketing reasons, but these do not meet the minimum sweetness requirement to be Tokaji Aszú. Making a Name Despite its price, winemakers don’t make eszencia for the money. “At least one hundred times more grapes are needed for eszencia than for a bottle of table wine,” wrote British wine writer Hugh Johnson of a bottle of his own Royal Tokaji Wine Company’s eszencia. “Eszencia is the purest expression of a terroir and its vintage known to man. Kings, Queens, Emperors, Czars and Popes have recognized eszencia as the purest health restorative wine, and occasional aphrodisiac, for centuries.” THE AGEING CELLARS In Slovenia, in line with the EU prohibition, the wine of Goriška Brda and Vipava regions was renamed Sauvignonasse. Before adding to the Aszú berries the must starts to ferment in stainless steel tanks until it reaches 4 – 6% alcohol. The Aszú berries are left in containers for a period of time before pressing. A tiny quantity (perhaps 2-3 litre per 100kgs of free run juice is collected). This free run juice is the Essencia or essence.

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Hugh Johnson, the noted wine writer, was familiar with Tokaji as one of the world’s original fine wines and at the first opportunity put together a group of investors to found Royal Tokaji. The company’s goal was to work with the same raw materials that had first created these legendary wines and to return the wines of Tokaji to the pinnacle of the wine world. The high concentration of sugar is supported by its excellent acidity and a spectrum of flavors hard to forget. In the glass, the wine has a pale amber color and an intense nose of daisies, golden apples, and raisins. The body is full, complex, very well-balanced and with a long aftertaste of candied apricots and pineapple. Tokaji Aszú wines are memorable precisely because of the climate, soil, elaborate production style, aromatic complexity, and the fantastic balance between sugar and acidity. Controlled by legislation and indicating the level of sweetness of wine on release. Scale used to range from 3 to 6 Puttonyos, but since the vintage of 2013 the following minimum levels are required to produce an Aszú wine: min. 19% total alcohol, min. 9% actual alcohol and min. 120g/l sugar content. The usage of ‘Puttonyos’ is not compulsory.