No notes taken, a friend brought the bottle for dinner. Aging dry Tokaji is a risky business based on my somewhat limited experiences, but this one might actually look better now than as a young wine. Continue reading
tokaj
Solid Furmint sparkling from Tokaj: Péter
I find it a bit confusing that besides many sweet and dry white styles Tokaj producers started to make sparklings in recent years as well. Nevertheless this example from Péter Pince is quite convincing…
Tokaj view
The view from the front of Attila Orsolyák’s cellar, in Bodrogkeresztúr, Tokaj. I visited him a week ago, tasted through the barrel samples of 2018 and 2019, and left impressed. There are only tiny quantities to be bottled, as usual. My opinion has not changed – he is quite probably the best winemaker in Tokaj (and that means in the whole country), when it comes to dry white wines.
Great dry Tokaji – Gizella Barát Hárslevelű 2018
Gizella is one of the best producers of Tokaj, making wines in a modern, precise and crispy, almost steely fashion. Their entry level white (reviewed here) and the Szamorodni (see here) are both at the top of their class, just as is this single vineyard Hárslevelű.
Good midweek dry Tokaji – Gizella Furmint / Hárslevelű 2019
A quite common Furmint and Hárslevelű blend from one of the best producers of Tokaj, positioned just under 10 Euros so that it’s affordable. Production is also considerably bigger for this entry level white, than for the top wines.
Let’s call it grand cru dry Tokaji – Barta Öreg Király single vineyard Furmint, Mád, 2018
This is simply one of the greatest dry Tokaji Furmints I have ever tasted. I can recall only a few bottles of Szepsy and Demeter Zoltán from the last two decades, that amazed me this much. Those were made in a very different style, though, oaked and full-bodied.
Top dry Tokaji: Péter Pince Arcus Cuvée 2018
The top dry white from Péter Pince. It’s also one of the finest in Tokaj, if you ask me.
Textbook dry Hárslevelű from Tokaj – Péter Pince 2018
Péter Pince was a new discovery for me last year. The dry wines
made at this address are among the most vibrant and precise ones in Tokaj, making the producer my current favorite from the whole wine region.
Great Tokaji Szamorodnis on the market #3 – The World Class Balassa Bomboly Szamorodni 2017
The winner of our recent Szamorodni blind tasting. Took the first place for all the three tasters, and got the same high scores, too. It’s in a completely different class, everything else looked a simple drink in comparison, except the Gizella.
Great Tokaji Szamorodnis on the market #2 – Gizella Szamorodni 2017
If you are in doubt that Tokaji Szamorodni can be as great as Aszú, try the Gizella Pince 2017. It was my favorite from our recent blind tasting.