High up in the picturesque slopes of Hungary, there has been a long-standing tradition that dates back to the 1700s. The mountainside Tokaj regions of Hungary have been home base for the production of one of the original sweet white wines, the tokaji. The tokaji wine became synonymous with European royalty due to it’s sweet delightful flavors and smoothly acidic finish. Tokaji was so beloved that it became a main export for merchants in Hungary and helped build the Hungarian economy into a formidable force during the 18th century. With a crisp gold color and luscious candy like flavor, the tokaji wine truly embodies the beauty of a spring day mountainside in the Tokaj vineyards during golden hour. No tokaji embodies this spirit and grace better than Royal Toakajis’ Nyulaszo 2013 First Growth, 6 Puttonyos Aszu wine.
Don’t let the fancy name fool you. This wine is a gleaming example of a vineyard with perseverance, determination, and grit. During the late winter months of 2013 Hungary experienced harsh snowstorms. Though the crystal like snow made the mountainside look absolutely breathtaking, these conditions caused a wave of frost issues that came over crops. The hardships didn’t stop there. In the spring and early summer months, loads of rain would fall negatively affect crops. It wasn’t until the dead of summer that these challenging conditions would subside to bring on a hot and dry climate. This newly charged climate paired with what the crops had gone through in the earlier months would combine to make a surplus of “nectar” rich fruits that would be perfect for the production aszu. The vineyards began their fermenting process and came out of the other side of those hard times with an absolute gold mine. Nyulaszo 2013 is a fabulously elegant wine made for royalty. With it’s soothing notes of acacia honey and apricots it almost immediately melts in the drinkers mouth. These rich flavors are then brilliantly subsided by a balanced acidity that weaves its way through the finish like smoke dancing off of the cherry of a lit cigarette. These complex flavors hold together for a long challenging finish that will truly leave the drinker in awe.
