Sárospatak Castle Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2011

The Château de Sárospatak is a late-Renaissance architectural monument in Hungary and bears the name of its town. It is part of Hungary's national heritage. The Tokaji bearing its name are produced only in the best years in order to create exceptional cuvées. They come from the Sárospatak and Tolcsva wine-growing areas and the south of the appellation, and are today acclaimed by leading sommeliers. Rich in sugar, aromas and acidity, the so-called "Aszú" berries (meaning “dried” in Hungarian) come from grapes that have shrivelled on the vine or been affected by noble rot. The aszú berries are harvested berry by berry in successive pickings, which represents a colossal amount of work in the vineyards. These berries are then added to a base white wine and macerate for several days until the wine is imbued with their extraordinary flavours.

This is the first vintage since 2008 in which it has been possible to produce a top-class 6 Puttonyos. In this region, climate change often causes the grapes to ripen too early, which is unfavourable to the production of great sweet wines. The 2011 vintage marks the return of the great "balanced" years, when ripening is slow and allows a fine crop of the famous aszú berries. The complexity of flavours is both disconcerting and captivating. A multitude of aromas can be detected, such as candied apricot, candied lemon, quince paste, raisins, orange marmalade, orange blossom, chestnut honey, date, saffron, turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg. The palate has great aromatic richness, with no heaviness thanks to its refreshing acidity. Its length is that of a great year and places this wine among the great Tokaji.

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 Furmint 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 hárslevelű 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 Olaszrizling for whites and Kékfrankos for reds. International grape varieties, mainly Bordeaux grape varieties, flourish in particular in the south of the country where they produce high-class wines.