The vintage
Long winter, late bud break and flowering, hot summer followed by a cooler and rainy September. The grapes started to ripen late and we had to wait for the appearance of the botrytis. From the end of September, the botrytis developed continuously on the grapes and brought plenty of great quality and very rich aszú berries.
Harvest
The aszú berries were selected between the 23rd of September and the 11th of November, through 3 passages in the Furmint vines.
Winemaking
At the end of each picking day, the one-by-one collected aszú grapes were collected in stainless steel small vats and stored there until early November. This Eszencia is the free-run juice coming from the weight of the aszú berries. Each day the vat gave just a few sips, around half a litre, that were poured into demijohns of 50 litres.
Ageing
The individual lots of Eszencia were kept in the demijohns without any added yeasts or sulfur in our cool underground cellar. There was a continuous but extremely slow fermentation during the whole ageing time, resulting in very low alcohol. The ageing lasted until June 2016, when we blended its lots in a vat and started the long process of preparation for bottling. Bottled in July 2016, 548 bottles were made.
Varietal
Furmint : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : 3.1 % vol.
Residual Sugar : 625 g/l
pH : 3.11
Tartaric acidity : 9.7 g/l
Serving
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.
Eszencia is a wine unique for its richness and concentration, the memory of the vintage perfectly reflecting the character of the aszú berries. A sip of offers a snapshot of the vintage, a journey into uncharted territory, an intimate treat for the closest moments.
Tasting
Bright bronze-gold colour. Intense nose with apricot jam, quince gelee, lemon zest and honey aromas. The palate is extremely rich, with distinctive acidity. It offers dried fruits flavours and honey-like creamy texture in the mouth.
László Mészáros - Director - November 2023