Royal Tokaji, Essencia, Tokaj

Happy international Tokaji Aszú day! Okay, not really an Aszú, this Eszencia, but this is the base ☺️ Very, very gently press the 2016 late harvested botrytised grapes and let the nectar slowly, and I mean sloooowly ferment to 2% ABV in 3 years time. The result is divine. Lots of sugar but also an insane acidity. Pronounced aromas of elderflower, rose petal, apple, lime, apricot, lychee, mango, wet stone, sea salt, biscuit, cream, orange marmalade, almond, walnut, honey. 2% …

I've been in a wine group for more than 20 years now, and one of our 8 members passed away last week. His name was George Simon. He was Hungarian by heritage. He loved all things Hungarian. For years, George had told me that if I ever found a bottle of Essencia, buy it. That it was way better than ordinary Tokai. As luck would have it, this summer I found a bottle. It was a very rare find. I …