Disznókő Tokaji Eszencia
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 1999
"There is something transparent, almost like crystal, about the wines and the 2007 vintage. The way everything came together, just perfectly, like a glider in a clear, blue sky. It is a vintage with finesse and refined fruit."
László MészárosCharacteristics of the vintage
A unique and historical vintage: an exceptionally mild winter followed by a very hot summer. Early budding, flowering and ripening, with rain during the harvest bringing plenty of botrytis that spread over the perfectly-ripened grapes. This gave wonderfully creamy aszú grapes. The wines are complex and elegant with a pleasant structure and lush flavours.
The Terroir
The first aszú berries selection started on the 4th of September on the Furmint grapes and made a first round until the 24th of September. Curiously the first selection of Zéta grapes came after. We had many beautiful aszú berries, with intense botrytis that transformed the flesh of the aszú berries into a light, creamy paste. We did three passages of aszú selection in the Furmint vines, the second one was between the 26th of September and the 10th of October and the last one between the 13th and 18th of October. The aszú berries selection ended with a second selection of Hárslevelű aszú grapes on the 21st of October. The Zéta and Hárslevelű vines gave us good volumes and remarkable quality as well.
Vinification
At the end of each picking day, the one by one collected aszú grapes were collected in small stainless steel vats and stored until the end of October. This Eszencia is the free-run juice coming from the weight of the aszú berries. Beside the superconcentration of the aszú berries, we had proportionally more Eszencia than usual, due to the light, botrytised character of the aszú berries. These incredebely rich nectars were then poured into demijohns of 50 litres.
Grape varieties
100% Furmint
Maturing
The individual lots of Eszenci were kept in the demijohns without any added yeasts or sulphur in our cool underground cellar. Only a micro-fermentation occurred on the top of the nectar (resulting in 1% alcohol) and the maturation refined its originally very intense, fruity aromas. The ageing lasted until January 2011, when we blended the various lots in a vat. We only selected the best lots from Furmint grapes for the 2007 Eszencia. Bottled in April 2011, 920 bottles were made.
Tasting notes
A deep gold colour with a lot of finesse and elegance on the nose: toffee, green tea, herbal aromas, wildflower honey, candied fruits. The palate is super rich, with caramel, honey, toffee notes, amazingly creamy and mouth-filling texture. Very pure. The after taste gives the reminiscence of herbal tea, candies, fine aged cognac and caffe latte.
Serving
Eszencia is a unique wine for its richness and concentration, the memory of the vintage perfectly reflects the character of the aszú berries. A sip offers a snapshot of the vintage, a journey into uncharted territory, an intimate treat for the closest moments. It is best appreciated slightly cool (15°C). Thanks to its high natural sugar content, it can be kept in the fridge for years after opening. Ready to drink, Disznókő Tokaji Eszencia can be kept for a very long time. A true collector's item.
Analysis
Alcohol: 1%
Residual sugar: 681 g/l
Total acidity: 10.7 g/l
