Tokaji Edes Szamorodni 2017

Sárospatak Castle is a monument of late Renaissance architecture in Hungary and is named after its city. It is part of Hungarian national heritage. The Tokaji of this name are produced only in the best years. in order to create exceptional vintages. They come from the wine-growing areas of Sarospatak, Tolcsva and the south of the appellation and are acclaimed today by the great Sommellerie. Rich in sugars, aromas and acids, the so-called “ Aszú ” berries (which means “dried out” in Hungarian) come from grapes dried out on the vine or affected by noble rot. Aszú berries are harvested grain by grain and by successive sorting, which represents a colossal amount of work in the vineyards. Then, these berries are added to a base white wine and macerated for several days until they imbue the wine with its extraordinary flavors .

The origin of the word Szamorodni is Polish. It means “as he was born”. It is therefore the vinification of the whole botrytised cluster , unlike aszu which requires maceration of selected grains in a fermenting must. This wine is an authentic late harvest of noble grains with a high sugar content, harvested throughout the month of October 2017, as the bunches botrytize. After destemming and a short maceration, the grapes are pressed then left to ferment in stainless steel vats. The wine was then aged for 12 months in 225 liter barrels before bottling in June 2019. The wine is very aromatic and immediately reveals complex aromas of candied fruits such as roasted pineapple , apricot , pear , ' orange , and nectarine . Around this fruity core are added notes of toasted almond , honey , nutmeg , raisins and cinnamon . The flavors are particularly harmonious with a sugar/acidity balance which is those of great years. The finish is long and salivating, which makes it a true sweet gastronomic wine.

It was the Romans who planted the first vines at a time when the Country was part of a region called Pannonia. It was at the dawn of the 18th century that Hungary, united with Austria, ensured the export of its most famous wine throughout Europe: Tokaj (from the Fürmint grape variety). As throughout Europe, in the 19th century, viticulture was destroyed by phylloxera. During the communist period, vineyards were managed in cooperatives which guaranteed a stable income for wine producers. Quite a few small winegrowers were unable to keep up with this growing economy, so the Hungarian vineyard was restructured, losing 30% of its surface area in the process. Nowadays, many family estates have emerged, some of which produce wines of incredible quality. As everywhere in Europe, viticulture is in decline as part of the European restructuring plan for the wine industry. Hungary, which is at the same latitude as Burgundy, has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The rainfall is sufficient for non-irrigated viticulture and the soils are heterogeneous and of high quality depending on the region. With around a hundred indigenous and international grape varieties, the country has good varietal diversity. The fürmint and the hárslevelü from the Tokaj region, vinified dry and at the origin of the great sweet wines of Tokaj, are undoubtedly the best-known varieties today. The most widely planted grape variety is Olasrizling for whites and Kéfrankos for reds. International grape varieties, mainly Bordeaux grape varieties, flourish in particular in the south of the country where they produce high-class wines.