Tasting note
This is a deep and complex sweet wine. The fruit flavours are of dried apricots and caramelised peaches. But the main feature here is the complex array of toffee, smoke, fresh coffee bean and mushroom flavours that have developed with this exceptional wine after nearly two decades in the bottle.
Viticulture
This is a blend dominated by the Furmint grape, the hero of all Tokaji sweet wines, blended with a small amount of Hárslevelű for more aroma. Average vine age is 30-35 years at am elevation 180-200 meters above sea level.
Vinification
Hand-harvested with strict cluster selection. Perfectly botrytized grapes picked by hand. Barrel fermented with indigenous yeast, taking 8 months to complete. Aged in new oak (55% Hungarian, 30% French, 15% American) for 36 months.
Food Match
This is a dessert in its own right, a brilliant 'meditation wine'. It would work well with rich blue cheeses, tarte tatin, or desserts with toasted hazelnuts.