Dry wines have been a feature in Hungary for at least as long as the country’s legendary sweet wines. While these have lived in the shadows of the Aszú and late-harvest wines for decades, today, 70% of Tokaj’s wine production is devoted to the dry styles. Disznókő was one of the first estates to release a dry Furmint in 1992, and unlike the region’s dry Szamorodni–made from botrytised grapes–this pure Furmint is drawn from steep, mineral-rich volcanic vineyards specifically farmed for dry-wine production.

In Disznókő’s customary style, this lip-smacking, bone-dry white is all about purity and zesty freshness, capturing the vibrant juiciness and minerality so innate to this unique variety. Matured on lees in tank, it shimmers on the tongue with juicy pear, almond blossom and salty lemon goodness. Along with its impressive tension and focused, chalky drive, there’s a spicy Chablis thing going on, especially on the briny, salt-licked close. Serve as an apéritif, with seafood (it’s superb with a plate of oysters), or with poultry/game-bird dishes. 

László Mészáros makes this late-harvest wine from mainly botrytised Furmint grapes (along with small amounts of Zéta), which have shrivelled to around half their original volume. Termed Késói Szüret (Late Harvest) in Hungarian, there is no berry-by-berry selection here as for Aszú wines. Instead, selected botrytised bunches and grape clusters are harvested and macerated briefly before pressing. The wine was racked to used French oak (including barrels from Disznókő’s sister property, Château Suduiraut in Sauternes), where it matured for 12 months.

The shorter aging has kept Furmint’s pungent and fruity aromas and flavours intact while guarding its energy and freshness. The palate strikes a terrific balance between honeycomb sweetness, candied lemon, sweet peach tea and lemon cake, and the style’s more spicy, savoury side. This wine has around 90g/L residual sugar, mopped up by the punchy acidity and gentle grip, giving a vibrant and gloriously pure expression. The finish brings more candied peel, spice and all things nice. Terrific value here. Such is the freshness; you don’t necessarily have to serve this with dessert. In fact, in Hungary, this style is often consumed as an apéritif or with goat’s cheese, charcuterie or pâté on toast. 

This traditional style of sweet wine has been produced in Tokaj for centuries.  1413 is the year the Disznókő vineyard was first mentioned in a land register. The name Szamorodni comes from the Polish meaning ‘as it comes’ or ‘the way it was grown’, and so the bunches come as they are from vineyard to cellar. Unlike the Aszú wines—which have grapes selected berry-by-berry—these bunches are picked whole and contain a mix of very ripe late-harvest grapes, raisined grapes and 20-40% botrytised fruit. 

The wine was made similarly to the world-famous wines of Sauternes and aged for at least two years in ex-Sauternes barrels. Szamorodni can be made in two styles—sweet (édes) and dry (száraz). Reflecting the balance in the vineyard, Disznókő’s Szamorodni Édes is a blend of 93% Furmint and 7% Hárslevelű. The wine has 150 g/L residual sugar, balanced by a racy 7 g/L acidity.

This mouth-wateringly racy, delicious wine doesn’t require further aging. In some respects, it is comparable to an Aszú–with flavours of smoky satsuma, caramel, golden raisin, and sandalwood spice with vertical, zingy acidity–but is considerably lighter and less concentrated. Like the Late Harvest, it is supremely flexible at the table. There is so much energy here, with loads of zippy, citrus-charged acidity through the long, spicy, grippy kumquat finish. 

This is a fabulously detailed wine of rare aromatic complexity. It’s chock-a-block with fresh and dried fruit flavours, earthy spices and floral/honey notes. A blend of 69% Furmint, 25% Zéta and 6% Hárslevelű, it’s super-complex with the tangy cut of orange and bergamot brightness to balance the oozing sweetness (it has roughly 155 g/L residual sugar). There are also lovely savoury things, with umami and camomile notes adding earthy depth. The balance between these wonderful elements and the firm acidity of 2014 brings a sense of lightness and a squeaky-clean finish, allowing the wine to match savoury dishes—especially hard and young blue cheeses—as well as fruit-based desserts. 

The 2016 is 100% Furmint, picked in six passes from the middle of September until the 24th of November. The Aszú berries were gently crushed and then macerated in a base wine and must of Furmint and Hárslevelű. After a long pressing, the fermentation took place in stainless steel vats until the middle of December. The wine was then aged in 225-litre oak barrels (including 17% new Hungarian oak) for two years and bottled with 177g/L residual sugar.

It’s a glorious Tokaji full of the drive and brightness we find in all Disznókő wines but paired with remarkable, light-footed power. It’s just so hedonistic and aromatically intricate—exotically perfumed with a velvety texture and heady concentration. Take your pick from a kaleidoscope of aromas—tea cake, pineapple, Asian spice, citrus skin, soaked sultanas, marmalade, candy floss and light caramel. While on the palate, you get remarkable, mouthwatering tension with saturated intensity of pure, botrytised Furmint offset by razor-sharp freshness. Glory! 

Throughout history, Eszencia has been perhaps the world’s most revered, most legendary of all sweet wines (it even merits mention in Hungary’s national anthem). These extraordinary unicorn wines are more nectars than anything else. They are produced only a few times per decade in homeopathic quantities. Indeed, Eszencia was historically sold in apothecaries due to its health benefits! For this style, the Aszú (botrytised) grapes are collected berry-by-berry and left to rest in a wooden keg for 15 to 20 days without crushing. Only the weight of the berries themselves helps get the process moving.

So here we have the free-run juice of handpicked, 100% botrytised Furmint berries drizzled into 50-litre demijohns and left to ferment naturally in the estate’s dark cellars. The fermentation is languid, to say the least, with the highly concentrated, syrup-like liquid fermenting over many years. Eszencia can take up to four years to achieve a modest alcohol level of 2–3%, although many wines struggle to make it to even 1% ABV (only a micro-fermentation occurs on the top of the nectar). As you can imagine, it is rarely sold commercially! While the residual sugar level must be at least 450 g/L, levels of 900 g/L or more are not unheard of. Yet even considering the huge sugar content, these staggeringly pure nectars somehow remain mesmerisingly poised. 

The 2007 release—all 920 half bottles—clocks in at 1% (!!) alcohol with 681 g/L residual sugar and 11 g/L acidity. With all respect to the tasting notes below, trying to describe these wines in words is futile; every time you take a sip, something new emerges. All we can say is that a drop or two on the tongue is all it takes to flood the senses with extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime aromas and flavours. The intensity is otherworldly.

While this exquisite nectar is ready to drink, it could easily go on forever! It is best served lightly chilled at 15°C, and thanks to its high natural sugar content, it can be stored in the fridge for years after opening the bottle. As for pairing suggestions, Eszencia is best savoured on its own with your nearest and dearest. Finally, the nectar is so intense, it is served in small portions, traditionally in a crystal spoon. Disznókő has commissioned the ‘Eszencia Angel Glass’, pictured below, and we can offer four of these spoons, free of charge, with each bottle purchased.