Vintage 2006

The weather pattern of 2006 resembles that of 2005, and so do its wines. A cooler than average summer, a warmer than average autumn, low yields and high quality botrytis, followed by shrivelling resulted in perfect aszú grapes. The wines offer the finest form of botrytis: pure notes of dried fruits, and classic, well-defined and delineated textures.

Vintage 2005

A year of outstanding, classic and well-defined wines that somewhat resemble the character of the great 1999s. After a particularly cool summer, the autumn was miraculously long, sunny and warm, as if trying to make up for what summer left unfinished. Yields were lower than average, but quality leaves nothing to be desired. Wines offer notes of dried fruits with a clear cut and closely knit structure.

Vintage 2004

The year 2004 brought an end to the series of early harvests of the previous years. The cool and rainy summer delayed maturation and pushed back harvest time. Probably due to the prolonged blooming, the maturation of the grapes was particularly uneven, and thus the exact timing of the harvest proved crucial. All in all, the pronounced botrytis blesses the wines with an elegant, fruity and balanced character, as well as a creamy texture.

Vintage 2003

An extremely hot and dry year, 2003 brought a long harvest season with an early start. Botrytis arrived late, but finally delivered perfectly botrytized and shrivelled aszú berries. October saw some rain, quickening up the pace of noble rot. The wines of this vintage are particularly complex and multi faceted.

Vintage 2002

Vintage 2001

This was a difficult vintage that put winemakers to the test. The summer was cool and rainy for the most part, with no improvement in September to make matters worse. October finally brought the long awaited sunshine and botrytis showed its noble side, developing slowly on the grapes. The vintage favoured the loose clusters of Hárslevelû. Wines from this vintage abound in botrytis and reveal a fine, elegant and silky structure.

Vintage 2000

Warm, dry weather arrived at the end of April and induced early flowering in the middle of May. Weather conditions remained extreme through the summer with little rain, followed by a sunny autumn, ever more concentrating the already overripe fruit. The selection of aszú berries continued for more than two months, starting at the end of August and finishing at the end of October.

Aszú berries had a deep violet colour, with only very small patches of botrytis on the skin. The flesh under the skin was dark jam-like, the seeds were brown and completely dry, and the overall quality of the grapes was excellent. The extraordinary sugar levels were rounded off by striking flavours and pleasant acidity.

The Aszú wines from this vintage show an amazing freshness on the nose with the floral notes of a hot summer, oozing white fruit, peach and honey. On the palate they are round, rich, suave, with honeyed, mineral flavours and a very long finish.

Vintage 1999

This year saw ideal weather conditions in the form of a dry hot summer, with intermittent rain and cool night breezes from the Zemplén mountains leading to early, but well balanced ripening. Botrytis came in its most desirous form, and was duly complemented with the consequent shrivelling of the grapes as the fruit offered the taste of dried fruits. Picking started at the beginning of September and continued well into November, during which aszú berries were selected one by one. Rich, concentrated aszú grapes were harvested, although the high sugar levels were more than balanced by a fruity, intense and vibrant acidity. The aszús offer notes of fresh and dried fruits; a precise, clear and tightly knit structure; a long finish; and perfect harmony. 1999 is a great vintage, perhaps one of the greatest on record. Aszú wine from this vintage is the epitome of classic Tokaji.

Vintage 1998

The summer was cool and rainy, and autumn rains led to the vigorous attack of botrytis. As it continued to rain, there was no shrivelling to desiccate the botrytized berries. The Aszú wines show the intense character of botrytis, lots of lemon, orange and spices. They are elegant, fine, rounded and creamy.

Vintage 1997

“Dry” is the most poignant word to describe the vintage. Despite a sunny September, ripening came fairly late, and the grapes remained botrytis free until the beginning of October due to the lack of rain. Botrytis only arrived at the end of October with the first frosts and settled on the frost-bitten thin skins of the berries. Only a small amount of aszú grapes developed, but they were exemplary with botrytis, shrivelling and unique concentration. The wines are extremely vigorous and fruity with notes of fresh and dried apricots as well as figs, and are beautifully structured with piercing acidity.

Vintage 1996

A cooler than average summer and a changeable September delayed ripening. Botrytis appeared in due course on the swollen grapes, but was not accompanied by the usual, characteristic intense shrivelling. The Aszú wines from this vintage have a pronounced botrytis character with the aromas of orange peel and citrus, and are rounded, creamy and soft-textured.

Vintage 1995

The warm and dry summer was followed by early ripening in September. Autumnal rains then fast induced the botrytis to appear on the Furmint. The October sun and drying winds shrivelled the grapes. The autumn was long, producing significant amounts of aszú grapes, and thus picking continued into November. The Aszús of 1995 have a strong botrytis character, with dried fruits and a balancing acidity.