Pajzos Tokaj, 5 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú, 2017, Tokaj (PDO) 50cl

'One-Liner'
Liquid gold from Tokaj – marmalade, honey and stone fruit layered with marzipan, almonds and a thrilling streak of acidity and salinity.

Tasting Note
Deep golden amber in the glass, with an intensely complex nose of apricot, orange marmalade and honeycomb alongside marzipan and roasted almonds. The palate is gloriously rich and concentrated, with ripe stone fruit and candied citrus wrapped in luscious sweetness. Yet there is nothing heavy about it, thanks to a remarkable spine of bright acidity and a pronounced mineral, almost saline freshness. Notes of caramel, dried fruit and gentle Hungarian oak add further depth as the wine opens. Exceptionally long and harmonious on the finish, with honeyed fruit, nuts and salty minerality lingering beautifully.

Country: Hungary
Region: Tokaj PDO
Sub-Region: n/a
Grape(s): 49% Furmint, 32% Zéta, 19% Hárslevelű
ABV: 10.5%
Friendly: Vegetarian

Awards & Critics' Scores
Asian Wine Trophy 2023 – Grand Gold
VinAgora 2023 – Gold Medal
Berliner Wine Trophy 2023 – Gold Medal

The Story
Tokaji Aszú exists because of a happy collision between geography, patience and noble rot. Autumn mists rising from the Bodrog and Tisza rivers encourage Botrytis cinerea to shrivel individual grapes, concentrating their sugar, acidity and flavour into tiny Aszú berries that must be selected painstakingly by hand. At Pajzos, those botrytised berries are combined with young wine before the resulting Aszú is allowed to ferment slowly and mature for 32 months in 220-litre Hungarian oak casks. The 2017 brings together Furmint’s piercing acidity, the richness of Zéta and the perfume of Hárslevelű, finishing with 157g/L of residual sugar balanced by an impressive 8.1g/L of acidity. It is exactly that tension between extraordinary sweetness and equally extraordinary freshness that has made Tokaji Aszú one of the world’s great dessert wines.

Perfect With... (click me for the recipe)
- Meat/fish: Duck liver parfait with caramelised apples and toasted brioche
- Vegetarian: Walnut tart
- Vegan: Vegan apple tarte tatin with orange and cinnamon