TOKAJ – Tokaj and its wines are memorialized in the Hungarian national anthem. The Hungarians thank God for “dripping sweet nectar into the vineyards of Tokaj.” So, the Tokaj vineyards are truly legendary.

Chateau Pajzos is among the oldest and most respected wine producers in this storied region. In fact, it is one of the very few estates given the GRAND CRU classification. It has about 75 hectares in Tokaj. Chateau Pajzos is owned by a French company in Pomerol. Through my French connections, I have access to these wonderful dessert wines.

The wines are mostly made from Furmint and Harslevelu grapes with a bit of Muscat Blanc, too. Lots of clay in the soil helps it to retain moisture. Combined with the sunshine, these grapes become overripe and contract the benevolent and desired Botrytis fungus (nobel rot). This dehydrates the grapes and leads to highly concentrated sugar levels in each dried berry (aszu). The flavors become luscious and sublime.

Chateau Pajzos expertly marries traditional winemaking methods with modern techniques to fully take advantage of these legendary vineyards. These wines have been called the “nectar of the gods” as well as the “wine of kings”. They are undoubtedly some of the finest dessert wines on the planet.

The estate is located in the heart of the Tokaji region, on slopes surrounding the famous wine village of Sárospatak. It was long acknowledged for having one of the finest vineyards of the region. Its volcanic, rocky soils ensure that the native varieties – Furmint, Muscat, Hárslevelu and Zéta – are both rich in natural acidity and concentration and the location between the Bodrog and Tisza rivers makes it ideal for attaining noble rot, indispensable for producing the sweet Aszú wines.

The property is managed by Ronan Laborde and his winemaking team. In recent years, they optimized the vineyard to enhance the development of botrytis, essential for Aszú wines. They changed their pruning method to single guyot in order to reduce yields and advance ripening. Depending on the moisture content of the soil, it is either ploughed or left un-tilled; nets are placed in the fall over the botrytis-affected grapes to prevent them from being eaten by animals.

Our great single-vineyard “Selection” wines convey the terroir characteristics perfectly. Wines from the cooler Megyer Vineyard with rhyolite tuff soils are defined by their elegance, complexity, minerality and defined acid backbone. Aged in young 500-l oak barrels with battonage, these wines present the uniqueness of Tokaj beautifully. The barrel aging weaves subtle aromas in both characterful Furmint wines and in floral Hárslevelű.Type: Dry
Country: Hungary
Region: Tokaji
Grape Variety: Furmint 86%, Harslevelu 14%
Alcohol Percentage: 13.0%

Viticulture: Vegan Friendly

Climate: The region lies in the middle of Europe, at the northern limits of viticulture with late springs, very hot summers and cold winters. In the autumn it is pleasantly warm during the day, but it can be very cold and misty at nights.

Ageing: Six months using battonage technology. 55% in first-fill and 45% in older 5-year-old 500-liter Hungarian oak barrels.

The typical notes of the terroir can be found in this wine. Creaminess which is surrounded by citrus, pear and almond notes. The long mineral finish is accompanied by the notes of the barrel ageing. An outstanding vintage, Grapes for the Selection range are picked in multi stages which although is time consuming, ensures only the very best fruit go into making the perfect wine. Long ageing potential.

James Suckling – 93 points

The extremely youthful nose of white tea and white flowers makes this an enticing dry furmint. Cool and elegant, this glides over your palate, the mineral freshness, fine tannins and subtle spicy notes making the long finish seriously complex. Drink or hold.