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.

TOKAJ-Esszencia is one of the most exclusive wines in the world. Château PAJZOS is the only Tokaj winery to have scored 100 Parker points, with its Esszencia 1993. The estate also produced Esszencia in 1999 (awarded 100 points by
Neal MARTIN), 2000, 2010 and 2013. 2016 is the sixth Esszencia vintage to be released, since the estate was privatised in 1991.

Esszenzia is only produced in exceptional vintages. It is made from the pure juice of the Aszu berries that runs off naturally from the vats in which they are collected during the harvest. There is no mechanical press. The sugar concentration is enormous (residual sugar over 450 g/l) yet the alcohol level remains low (2 to 6 % Alc/vol), as such a high level of sugar concentration makes it difficult for the yeast to transform the sugar into alcohol.

Unlike virtually all other wines, Esszencia maintains its quality and drinkability when stored for 200 years or more.

Blend: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Yellow Muscat, Zéta, Kövérszőlő

Sugar: 600g / L

Alcohol: 2%

Acidity: 17g / L

The Aszu berries, principally Furmint but also Muscat, Harslevelu, Zeta, and Koverszolo are gathered in a tank.
Juice is extracted by gravity, naturally, without pressing, every day. The Esszencia yield reaches 2 to 6%, which means that from 1,000 kg of Aszu berries, it is possible to extract 20 to 60 litres of Esszencia.The nectar is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, but also in glass carboys, in the estate’s natural cellar. It took four and a half years to ferment this Esszencia, which was racked only once a year. It was gently filtered 8 times and then bottled in 250 and 375 ml bottles.

A bright orange garnet in colour. The nose unfolds very complex aromas of acacia honey, royal jelly, apricot, candied fruits, dried raisin, lemon and gingerbread. Sweet and honeyed on the palate, marmalade, maple syrup and fresh apricot mingle with lime
tree and verbena flavours. The soft and velvety texture heralds an endless finish.

PAJZOS-Esszencia is outstanding, and will keep forever.

Wine Advocate – 98 points