This vintage almost smells like a super healthy ferment from barrel only it’s completely put together and has 4 years of age on it. It’s immediately Tokaj in terms of ripe acidity, but not followed by any heat, bitterness, or any perceivable residual sugar (although it absolutely needs and has some for balance). Fermented in 500L Hungarian oak, it then spends 4 months on the lees and is only racked by gravity. Ready to drink now, we can’t wait to see where this goes in 3-5 more years in bottle. The honey, smoke and salt derived from the terraced Öreg Király Dűlő are just their infancy.

This vintage almost smells like a super healthy ferment from barrel only it’s completely put together and has 4 years of age on it. It’s immediately Tokaj in terms of ripe acidity, but not followed by any heat, bitterness, or any perceivable residual sugar (although it absolutely needs and has some for balance). Fermented in 500L Hungarian oak, it then spends 4 months on the lees and is only racked by gravity. Ready to drink now, we can’t wait to see where this goes in 3-5 more years in bottle. The honey, smoke and salt derived from the terraced Öreg Király Dűlő are just their infancy.

“Kis” literally translates to small, but the sentiment is that while it’s the younger sibling to the older vine and barrel fermented versions, it’s not dumbed down either. All of the fruit comes from the famed terraced Öreg Király Dűlő, but from the younger cordon trained vines. It’s also picked early without botrytis and 90% fermented in stainless steel and the rest in oak. Just a few short months on the lees, it was racked off the lees in February without going through malolactic fermentation. A particularly cold winter killed off most of the pathogens and everything was looking super healthy just after flowering. Then the rains came. Their village of Mád was fortunate not to get the brunt of it, but cover crops and grass shot up aggressively and a lot of vineyard labor followed. Nevertheless, this elongated growing season and colder climate resulted in long acidity and freshness.

This is a perfect opportunity to get on my high horse and pitch the beauty of sweet wines in virtually every scenario other than with desserts. Late harvest wines don’t have the oxidative elements present in Aszú or some Szamorodnis, and they don’t typically carry anywhere near the same weight of residual sugar. Granted, it still has around 100 g/l of RS, but it’s backed up with nearly 12% alcohol and enough acidity to feel refreshing and dry off the palate. The 2018 was lightly crushed, gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel followed by 6 months in local 2nd-fill Zempléni oak barrels. While easily paired with meat/cheeses, it’s a great foil for anything fatty, pickled, and smoky.

One of the largest and most important appellations in pre Ottoman occupied Hungary was the Szerémség (modern day Srem in Serbia, Srijem in Croatia). Ottoman conquests during the 14th and 15th centuries pushed Hungarian winemaking traditions and grapes north, eventually settling in Tokaj. It’s largely believed that both Furmint and the style of Szamorodni were among them. Formally called “Főbor” meaning “main wine,” it’s fairly safe to assume that it was important. 2013 was a great botrytis vintage, so nearly 80% of every cluster was blessed with noble rot. Destemmed, macerated between 12-16 hours, and then followed by 1.5 years in barrel. The minimum aging by law is 6 months, so combined with the 8 years in bottle this is in an ideal drinking window. While not too much sweeter than the late harvest and around the same alcohol and acidity, it’s the concentration and maceration of botrytis that sets it apart.

One of the largest and most important appellations in pre Ottoman occupied Hungary was the Szerémség (modern day Srem in Serbia, Srijem in Croatia). Ottoman conquests during the 14th and 15th centuries pushed Hungarian winemaking traditions and grapes north, eventually settling in Tokaj. It’s largely believed that both Furmint and the style of Szamorodni were among them. Formally called “Főbor” meaning “main wine,” it’s fairly safe to assume that it was important. 2013 was a great botrytis vintage, so nearly 80% of every cluster was blessed with noble rot. Destemmed, macerated between 12-16 hours, and then followed by 1.5 years in barrel. The minimum aging by law is 6 months, so combined with the 8 years in bottle this is in an ideal drinking window. While not too much sweeter than the late harvest and around the same alcohol and acidity, it’s the concentration and maceration of botrytis that sets it apart.