Tokaji Furmint Szent Tamas 2021

The Tokaji Furmint Szent Tamás cuvée embodies all the richness and uniqueness of the Tokaj terroir. This exceptional dry white wine comes exclusively from the prestigious Szent Tamás cru, one of the most renowned vineyards in the region, located on the slopes of the municipality of Mád , in the heart of the historic vineyard listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The vineyard benefits from a complex soil composed of rhyolitic volcanic tuffs , enriched with red clay, quartz and zeolites. These elements give the wine a sharp minerality , a natural tension and an aromatic expression of rare finesse.

The old vines, aged between 40 and 60 years, are worked with extreme care, respecting the natural balance of the soil and the plant. The harvest, entirely manual, allows only perfectly ripe and healthy grapes to be picked. Fermentation takes place spontaneously ( indigenous yeasts) in neutral oak barrels. Ageing on fine lees continues for 7 months , in order to give the wine structure, texture and complexity, while preserving the freshness and precision of the fruit. No excessive stirring or aggressive filtration: the approach is pure, minimalist, to best reflect the typicity of the Furmint grape variety and the identity of the terroir.

This complex wine develops aromas of lime, green apple, juicy pear, mirabelle plum, fresh apricot , chamomile , citrus peel, chalk and flint and toasted almonds. On the palate, the wine is taut, saline and elegant, with perfectly integrated acidity, texture and a long, straight and mineral finish.

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.