The iconic bottles that define Tokaj: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
The iconic bottles that define Tokaj: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
Tasting notes: Concentrated dried apricot, orange blossom and saffron on the nose; candied orange peel, marmalade and toasted almond on the palate. Full-bodied with racy acidity and a very long finish. From the first-class Mézes Mály dűlő in Tarcal, classified in the 1700 Rákóczi survey.
Tasting notes: Dried apricot, orange peel, honeyed flowers and tobacco aromas; marmalade, dried fig, ginger biscuit and roasted coffee on the palate. Rich and layered with racy acidity and a very long finish. From AXA Millésimes' 104-hectare contiguous estate at Mezőzombor.
Tasting notes: Dried apricot, orange blossom and honeyed floral aromas; candied stone fruit, caramelised orange peel and walnuts on the palate. Full-bodied with high acidity and a long, spiced finish. From the Vega Sicilia-owned Tolcsva estate.
Tasting notes: Dried peach, orange blossom, honey and toasted oak on the nose; marmalade, candied citrus and cinnamon on the palate. Full-bodied with high acidity and a long mineral finish. The 5-puttonyos tier from István Szepsy's Mád estate, the more frequently produced expression of his Aszú range.
Tasting notes: Concentrated apricot nectar, orange oil, honeycomb and dried spices on the nose; liquid honey and apricot, tropical citrus, candied ginger and aged beeswax on the palate. Near-zero alcohol (2-3%), extraordinary residual sugar above 500 g/l, and a finish of unusual length. Produced from the gravity-drained free-run juice of hand-selected shrivelled Aszú berries.
Tasting notes: White peach, flint and graphite, lemon oil and fennel on the nose; stone fruit, chalk mineral, saline tension and tight citrus on the palate. Medium-bodied with racy acidity and a very long finish. From the classified Úrágya dűlő in Mád, first vinified separately in 2002.
Tasting notes: Ripe peach, almond blossom, citrus zest and flint on the nose; white peach, apricot stone, mineral salt and almond on the palate. Medium-bodied with high acidity and a long finish. From the Mandolás (almond grove) single vineyard near Tolcsva, the Oremus estate's flagship dry-wine expression.
Tasting notes: White peach, citrus peel, wet stone and almond on the nose; lime zest, stone fruit, saline mineral and light oak spice on the palate. Medium-bodied with racy acidity and a long finish. From Holdvölgy's volcanic-tuff classified plots in Mád, above the estate's 2-km underground cave system.
Tasting notes: Dried apricot, honey, orange zest and marzipan on the nose; caramelised apple, preserved lemon, hazelnut and soft spice on the palate. Medium-bodied with high acidity. Whole-cluster harvest of botrytised and healthy grapes aged in gönci oak, representing Tokaj's traditional Szamorodni style.
Tasting notes: Wild herbs, citrus peel, flint and apple skin on the nose; tart lemon, green apple, mineral tension and wild-yeast texture on the palate. Medium-bodied with racy acidity and a long finish. Single-vineyard organic Furmint from the Csontos plot on the Erdőbénye-Olaszliszka slopes; native-yeast fermented with no herbicides or enzymes.
Tasting notes: Linden blossom, ripe pear, lime zest and light spice on the nose; floral honey, lime-pear, delicate herbs and a clean finish on the palate. Light-bodied with high acidity. Varietal Hárslevelű from Tarcal, showing the linden-blossom and lime-zest character of Tokaj's secondary grape variety.
Tasting notes: White peach, lychee, honey blossom and citrus on the nose; fresh apricot, peach nectar, light honey and bright citrus on the palate. Medium-bodied with high acidity. Late-harvest entry from the Mezőzombor estate; less concentrated than Aszú and more immediately approachable.
Peak wine-travel season in Tokaj is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
If you only open one bottle, open Royal Tokaji Mézes Mály Aszú 6 Puttonyos by royal-tokaji. It is the wine most associated with Tokaj.