Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2014
We have 3 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Tokaj was classifying its vineyards before Bordeaux did. A survey compiled by János Matolai in 1732 ranked the region's sites, and three of Disznókő's vineyards, Disznókő, Hangács and Lajos, were listed as first growths. The estate is a single 107-hectare tract of vines near Mezőzombor, at the southern gate of the Tokaj hills, rising from 135 to 220 meters on mainly south, southwest and southeast slopes. Soils are mostly clay over rhyolite and rhyolite tuff, volcanic bedrock that holds water and warms quickly. The real engine is the meeting of the Bodrog and Tisza rivers nearby: autumn morning mists rise off the water and marshland, Botrytis cinerea takes hold, and warm afternoon winds from the plain dry the infected berries into aszú.
The Wine
The 2014 vintage nearly broke Tokaj. A hot, rainy summer and high humidity brought noble rot early to almost every berry, and Disznókő had to sort with extreme care; volume was low, though the share of fruit good enough for Aszú ran high. Pickers made three passes, starting September 4 with Zéta and finishing October 29, picking aszú berries one at a time. Those berries, 69 percent Furmint, 25 percent Zéta and 6 percent Hárslevelű, were macerated in wine or fermenting must, pressed, fermented in stainless steel, and aged 18 months in mostly older 225-liter barrels before bottling in August 2017. Disznókő Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2014 carries 156 g/l residual sugar against 8.77 g/l acidity at 12 percent alcohol: apricot, citrus, fresh plum, mint, dill and honeyed botrytis spice, rich but racy.
The People
Disznókő, "wild boar stone," first appears in writing in 1413, named for a volcanic boulder or the shape of the hill. Aristocratic families held it for centuries before nationalization under communism. In 1992, soon after the fall of the regime, AXA Millésimes, the insurer's wine group that also owns Château Pichon Baron and Quinta do Noval, bought the estate. The vines were in poor shape; replanting began in 1994, and a new winery by architect Dezső Ekler was completed in 1995, the same year Disznókő helped found the Tokaj Renaissance association of classified vineyards. Its first major Aszú, from 1993, came out in 1997. Director László Mészáros leads the estate today, and Disznókő remains one of the standard-bearers for sweet wine from Tokaj.
Food Pairing
Serve it cool, around 52 to 55 degrees. Seared foie gras on toasted brioche with a spoonful of apricot compote is the classic match, the acidity slicing through the fat. Thai green curry with chicken works because the sweetness tames the chili while the acid keeps up with lime and lemongrass. A wedge of mild young Gorgonzola with honey and walnuts plays salt against sugar, and a simple peach or apricot tart lets the stone fruit echo the wine. Once opened, the bottle stays fresh in the fridge for at least a week, so a single glass after dinner on a weeknight is entirely reasonable.
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Furmint is Hungary's great white grape and the backbone of Tokaji. It ripens late, keeps searing acidity even when very ripe, and is highly susceptible to botrytis, which is why it makes the legendary sweet Tokaji Aszú, where shriveled berries give wines of honey, apricot, orange peel and enormous longevity. Dry Furmint has become a serious category in its own right: smoky, mineral and full-bodied, with quince, pear and lime, and a texture that rewards oak and age. Beyond Tokaj it grows in Somló, in Austria's Burgenland (as Zapfner) and in Slovenia (as Šipon).
