Topic: TN: Tokaj horizontal, Bouchard, Granbussia, Vogüé, Beauséjour, Fonseca
Author: David
Date: Thu Jun 6 09:30:33 2002
Terribly sorry for the length of most of the TNs here. The truth is, I keep writing notes for myself, as in a wine-related diary (helps me free my memory and concentrate on new things), and since they''re already typed, see no reason not to post them. But especially lately I always seem to be lacking the extra time to revise them, let alone try and condense them where they''re probably of little interest to anyone but myself.

Tasting held in Germany at Victor''s place. Great wines, great food, great company – and, as always, a great host! Victor''s belated birthday party, so again, belated congrats!
I''ve lately begun to feel to an even greater extent the distinction between tasting wine(s) (purpose: education, decision-taking as to what to buy etc.) and enjoyment (drinking and the celebration of life). Since our day was split in two parts, we managed to do both, a concentrated tasting (non-blind) in the afternoon and leisurely drinking (and spirited blind-guessing) in the evening, which I thought very gratifying. Look for the dry white, the red wines and Ports had in the evening far below.

We had been thinking about a horizontal of 1993 Tokaji Aszú-Esszencia for quite a long time, and finally decided to do it. Fears that the wines would not show well because of their youth were unnecessary, although some are still too young to be singing at the top of their voice. But believe me, we didn''t feel bad about opening bottles, and now are looking forward to repeating at least this part of the Tokaj event in a few years'' time.
Most Tokaj fans probably realise that 1993 was a historic vintage insofar as it was the first universally acknowledged great vintage of the post-Socialist era (before then there was a small number of very respectable 1991s, but across the board, 1993 may actually be the vintage of the nineties, although there were perhaps more vintners back on the right tracks and doing serious work in 1999).
Tokaji Aszú-Esszencia, for those who don''t know, is the category falling between 6 Puttonyos (legally required to have at least 150 g/l residual sugar) and Natúr-Esszencia (most often called Tokaji Esszencia, the free-run juice of the dry Aszú berries which contains no base must or base wine and since recently is legally required to hold a minimum of 450 g/l r.s., although the best usually contain considerably more, plus note that the regulation is unclear as to the point whether Esszencia must achieve this minimum requirement before or after part of the sugar is fermented, i.e. there''s a "loss" of 18 g/l r.s. per percent alcohol in the finished product, but note there no minimum alcohol requirement, so there''s ample reason to suggest that Esszencia is not wine, as quite a few vintners claim). The name of Aszú-Esszencia is historically due to the fact that winemakers in the greatest vintages used to make a special cuvée by adding Esszencia to a wine of probably 6 Puttonyos or higher sweetness, which can result in a more complete wine (Esszencia isn''t merely sweet, it is generally higher in extract and often just as much higher in acidity as in residual sugar). Today, Aszú-Esszencia is, thanks to extraordinarily concentrated material, is most often a super high grade Aszú wine, since the legal requirements (minimum of 180 g/l r.s., 6% alcohol, and 50 g/l sugar-free dry extract – a virtual "7 Puttonyos" but that in addition must be held in cask for a minimum of 3 years) can be achieved wholly without the addition of Esszencia. So in the understanding of many vintners, especially of course those who deny that Esszencia is wine at all, this is the top of the range product, certainly highest grade Aszú wine (which in contrast to Esszencia, the winemaker actually "makes"; whereas Esszencia is a produce of nature that in a way "just so happens", at least in the words of those vintners).
All the Aszú-Esszencias had been opened the day before. Tasting was non-blind, and I can say with confidence that none of us seemed influenced by name or pedigree (nobody knew all of the wines to begin with). I found the overall quality level highly impressive. My favourable ratings have a lot to do with the fact that I''m starting to realize that these wines are taking a direction that apporaches the aroma and flavour profiles of the greatest wines of the post-World War II era more closely than most people believe, hopefully retaining more of their primary candied tropical fruit notes (quince, dried apricot, baked apple and pear, candied orange and lemon, with loess wines sometimes roasted mango and papaya, tangerine blossom and candied tangerine with more Muscat-based, linden flower with more Harslevelü-based examples, all in combination with honey, and often curry and smoke) as they aquire the more autumnal aromas and flavours of black tea, fig, date, raisins, chocolate, Cognac, nutmeg or Garam Masala spice mix, caramel and caramelised nuts, and tobacco (maybe there will be less emphasis on stale coffee, bitter cocoa powder and green hazelnut, and certainly less fallen apple in those that go into bottle with comparatively little oxidation and oak influence); and since many modern wines seem cleaner and more concentrated, they should turn out even better than the best of the past. For comparison''s sake let me add some ratings of favourite Socialist era Aszús I had the (immense!) pleasure to taste: Borkombinát 6P 1957 (96 points), Borkombinát AE 1963 (94), Borkombinát Esszencia 1947 (98 to 100-), Monimpex AE 1969 (97), Monimpex AE 1957 (93), József Monyók AE Király 1972 (97-), Oremus 6P 1972 (94+), Oremus 6P 1959 (95), Oremus AE 1962 (93+).
I hope the message is clear: those who don''t buy some of the great modern Tokaji Aszús in time before Robert Parker finally discovers them are bound to regret it!
Tokaj tasting was non-blind. The flight titles are Victor''s.

István Dorogi Furmint Édes 1998
64 g/l r.s., 34 g/l dry extract, 11.2% alc. Made by Marta Wille-Baumkauff''s sympathetic young, now I believe former, winemaker. Tasted hors concurs, as I had brought this to rinse the glasses (with 10 people and four Spiegelau per person, it would have been a pity to waste Aszú-Essenzia). Seems to be develping at a snail''s pace. Still pale yellow-green colour, still extremely fresh with aromas and flavours of juicy-sweet apple and camomille, rape, sour butter milk and a most tender vanilla note, minor earthiness on the aftertaste. A wine of amazing purity and clean botrytis notes for the vintage (rainstorms during harvest), well-balanced, with a nice bean of acidity, zero bitterness or impurity, very tasty and prettily long and persistent, but of limited complexity.
Rating: 88 (consistent with earlier ratings)

Flight 1: "Traditionalists and Progressives"

M.W.-B. Pince KFT (Marta Wille-Baumkauff) Tokaji Aszú-Essencia Mád-Holdvölgy 1993
10% alc. (label says 10.5%), 12 g/l acidity, 220 g/l r.s. Radiant amber gold. I used to think it a pity that this seemed to go into a shell in recent years, apparently always more compressed by what seems a higher-than-average amount of oxidation, but today it was by and large back on form and not at all lagging behind the others. Now again aromas and flavours of Southern Comfort perhaps rather than Cognac, roasted almonds in bee''s wax, a quite dense almost Sauternes-like jammy yellow fruit mix. Viscous back end, and very long on the finish. A convincing showing. But no doubt the least racy of the seven AEs today, although this is reasonably fresh. With airing more earth and dried mushroom, but I cannot agree with Albino that there is anything unclean about it (he''d rate it 87 points only today, considerably lower than either of us did in Marta''s cellar in Abaújszántó in November 1999, or even in May 1999, when we had already been discussing its cleanliness, in particular a mouldiness on the nose, at the World Sweet Wine Contest in Bad Ragaz). I hope it''s on the upswing again after a dormant period, but after feeling positively surprised upon frist attacking it, I noticed it seemed to be getting softer in the glass, and I increasingly felt I had to be cautious and might feel forced to back into my rating, which in the long run could prove both too generous or too stingy. All in all, I honestly thought it a delicious wine that one would do more justice to enjoying it on its own than setting it against the toughest possible company – its peers.
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home another 48 hours later) honeyed tea, clean, but a bit broader in focus than the others. Dani likes it.
Rating: ~92 (highest previous rating 94+?)

Disznókö Tokaji Aszú-Eszencia 1993
Nerval''s stats from August 2001 are 10.44% alc., 178 g/l r.s., acids 10.25 g/l. If these figures are correct, this could actually not have been legally marketed as AE (180 g/l r.s. being the minimum)! Of course back in November 1999, when tasting through the 1993 portfolio with Dominique Arrangoits, at winery, we were told it contained approximately 200 g/l r.s., 56 g/l dry extract, and that about 10''000 bottles were made. Perhaps still more radiant amber gold than the MWB. Orangey apricot, mango, great intensity and in part still only hinted-at complexity, that Rangen de Thann-like volcanic bitterness that renders this quincy in its own, typical concentrated, terroir-driven way. Still has some botrytis house dust and a tannic finish where it conveys an impression of quite powerful structure and hidden reserve fruit at the somewhat tight core, the least sweet as well as the highest in acidity and among the least oxidised, and thus the most backward, but obviously one with exceptional long term potential. Not one to open now, but one of the group''s top favourites nonetheless. Should deserve its rating when fully mature, which may take another five to ten years, admittedly difficult to predict that it will exceed it, but the promise seems there.
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) this fattened and sweetened up, and was earthy and extremely viscous. Dani likes it, but finds the acidity high, Albino and Andrea love it.
Rating: 96+? (consistent with my first tentative range of 96-98 in November 1999, when this seemed sweeter in balance and a bit more forthcoming)

Úri Borok (Vince Gergely) Tokaji Aszúessencia 1993
Ca. 200 g/l r.s. and 10.5% alc. It is scary how much this wine has fattened up in bottle since release, and I''m curious to see if the same will happen to the Disznókö later on (which would do it good). Knowing this, I cannot agree with Eric that it is low in acidity. Instead this is the kind of wine that has fat and sweetness to live off as it ages, an often underestimated factor, as Max Gerstl once told me regarding German Riesling. Virtually the same radiant amber-gold colour as the MWB and Disznókö. The most floral and noble nose and palate impression of all, with linden flower, green tea finesse, some black tea now also (probably the direction this is taking now, as in the greatest wines of yesteryear), tangerine and tangerine blossom (there''s a higher percentage of Muskotály – Yellow Muscat – in here than in the other six, with the possible exception of Szepsy''s Nyulas), bee''s wax and soft chocolate. Ripe, aromatic acidity currently hiding a bit in the (surprisingly fresh!) sweetness and fat, an extraordinarily long wine, and there''s some lovely "Rückaroma" on the aftertaste. How this manages to be the most light-on-its feet and subtle of all is a near-mystery. I would not at all be surprised if this proved to be the AE of the vintage in the long run, but am still not ready to pick a favourite (the differences in style are too captivating). Also, this was clearly more closed today (aired too long and gone in a, very relative of course, shell?) than last year. Definitely an AE of dessert sweetness, which I sometimes think one can expect at this level. Admire this wine for its rare combination of fat, finesse and lightness of touch. And, I know I keep repeating myself, what length! How elated I am I own this in at least somewhat greater quantity than most of the other rarities. Agreed-upon favourite of the first flight, with the stylistically totally different Disznókö not far behind.
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) terrific green tea finesse and length, the balance and structure yet more convincing, superlative wine with no more than the ideal amount of oxidation. Dani loves it, Andrea apparently finds it too subtle, and Albino says it''s simply the best of all the 1993 AEs today.
Rating 97+ (consistent with earlier ratings, all between 96 and 98)

Flight 2: "The Controlled Progressive single vineyard bottlings of István Szepsy"

István Szepsy Tokaji Aszúessencia Mádi-Király Szölészet 1993
12% alc. 380 bottles produced. Király near Mád is, I believe, the highest in altitude among the vineyards in which Szepsy owns parcels; it''s one of the most famous 1er Crus where some of his most aromatically complex and minerally-deep wines should be stemming from especially in the future, but where the young replanted vines produced too little acidity in the eyes of the master himself. Although this seems difficult to believe when one tastes this, as stunning as this was after release, it seems to be showing signs of fatigue, and it seems currently doubtful that it will return to form. Of course those who had never tasted it before thought it great stuff, Victor even found it second only to the super-rare Danczka Szölöhegy among the four Szepsy AEs, so my criticism must clearly be understood as relative. Perhaps the most imminent problem of all is that this seems to be losing freshness. But after all this is the Szepsy AE that the Swiss delegation at this tasting knows best (it was the first of the four 1993s to be marketed and was sold at an almost ridiculously low price) and that along with the great 1991 Danczka turned us into Szepsy fans. Not much but just noticeably murkier-browner amber-orange. More oxidation than the other six AEs tasted today. The one AE where a little oak note makes itself felt on the nose, which I already noticed last time I tasted this, plus a tiny apple oxidation aroma. Of course the oakiness and amount of oxidation is lower than e.g. in the 1989 6P, but more recent wines are definitely more trust-inspiring. Black tea, dried apricot, pipe tobacco, quite malty milk chocolate, and some minerality, the latter most noticeable in direct comparison with the Nyulas. Highly concentrated, like a solid on the palate, but with very good vinosity. Good, but not great, acidity. My ratings seem to be decreasing by a point or two every time I taste this. I wish I had had the funds at the time to buy more and drink some immediately following release.
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) a reassuring lychee core, orange rind, caramel, coffee, pretty no doubt, but I guess the acidity isn''t high enough after all, although Albino still doesn''t find this aspect problematic (Sauternes ages with less). What was left in the bottle continually revealed more of its oxidation and changed from sweet pipe- to more ash-like cigar tobacco-scented, but remained satisfying on the palate.
Rating: 93-? (I rated this, the first 1993 Aszú we tasted and a bottle whose memory still lingers, 97+ at release, a score I fear this will never live up to again)

István Szepsy Tokaji Aszúessencia Nyulas-Hegyi Szölö 1993
9.5% alc. Bottle #184 of 390. This I believe remains the only loess site in Szepsy''s portfolio. Not the same as Nyulászó, a fine 1er Cru near Mád, this is the loess site that Szepsy sometimes refers to as "my father''s Bodrogkeresztúr field". He once explained to me that the advantages of this site are that grapes grown on loess tend to reach maturity earlier (although in contrast to highly regarded south-facing loess 1er Crus as Szarvas, Mézesmály, Terezia or Hétszölö, Nyulas is on the "wrong" side of the Tokaj hill) and that thanks to the closeness to the river Bodrog there''s reliably botrytis in every vintage and that it spreads quickly thanks to early morning fog. But he also said that other than that it was inferior to what other sites he owns parcels in. I have never asked him, but suspect there must be a higher than average quantity of Muskotály and Harslevelü since what we''ve so far tasted always showed extraordinary florality and tropicality for Szepsy Aszú, along with some, but clearly much less, of the baked or roasted quality that seems typical of the south-facing loess vineyards. I had never tasted this before, but even if tasted blind, anyone who''s received this explanation beforehand would be able to tell this apart from the other three Szepsy AEs due to the single-minded purity and florality of fruit, and the virtually complete lack of minerality (probably loess terroir''s major disadvantage along with often lower acidity, at least in Tokaj Hegyalja). But again, as in the 1991 6P Nyulas, the smooth mouthfeel is something to behold. Amber-orange colour. Most pretty and subtle XO Cognac note, freshly floral candied and dried apricot-driven, ripe lightly baked apple, lovely acacia honey. A noticeably less fat, if not lean, beauty that retains fine vinosity despite low alcohol, and that seems significantly less marked by oxidation than the Király, and most assuredly not negatively, at least at this early stage of its development. Very long and candied-fruity. But due to the virtual absence of minerality this comes across as less deep and serious. One has to like loess-grown Aszú, especially the baked or roasted ones, but already tasting through barrels in different cellars in 1999, Albino and I decided we love their lushness and early complexity, and the fact that they''re normally more approachable young.
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) dusty dried mushroom top note over Grand Marnier, but rich, sweet and complex on the palate. Albino, Andrea and Dani admired the smooth mouthfeel.
Rating: 94

István Szepsy Tokaji Aszúessencia Danczka Dülö 1993
Amber-orange. Pine needle, half tangerine and apricot, breadier at first, some white chocolate, almost overwhelmingly huge and fat on attack, considerably more glyceric and very viscous, now starting to integrate its oxidation and oak, which used to compress the fruit two years ago, but beautifully sweet and fresh now for such a big mouthful, very long and complex on the finish, viscous but not without subtlety. When I bought this I had simply assumed it would surpass the already spectacular 1991 version, and indeed could see that this is even more concentrated and powerful, but was afraid it may have been kept in cask too long for its own good. While all of Szepsy''s 1993 AEs are noticeably more marked by oxidation and oak than the Disznókö and Vince Gergely''s Úri Borok, I''m no longer worried as far as this bottling is concerned, on the contrary (today the Király, as fine as it is, is the one that worries me most).
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) sweet Cognac and Calvados with a raspberry top note and sweet pipe tobacco and nutmeg, glyceric, sweet and satisfying, with a grapey and sour apple aftertaste. Dani loves this (who doesn''t?).
This was the last sample I finished whilst typing my notes, and it didn''t quit evolving positively. More open to scrutiny than the Disznókö at this stage, this is a super wine in its own right.
Rating: 96+ (highest rating so far was a 94+)

István Szepsy Tokaji Aszúessencia Danczka Szölöhegy 1993
8.5% alc. A selection from a parcel (closer to the top of the hill, if I remember correctly, which doesn''t mean much given Danczka''s elevation) of old vines that Szepsy decided to vinify separately, in part simply because, I believe, the Aszú dry berries could be picked earlier. Victor told us that 240 bottles were made, but couldn''t tell anymore where he took the information from; after all Szepsy told Albino and me that he had not initially planned to market this but had wanted to hold on to it as a reserve for his children. Apparently bottles were only by mistake packed and sent off along with the standard Danczka Dülö bottling, which is how I came by a single bottle, and which is why I was at all informed about its existence. When I asked Szepsy about it relative quality, he answered that lower acidity for his early wines usually meant balance thanks to higher residual sugar and acidity, "so in principle a better wine", although he wouldn''t make such wines anymore, claiming that "real" Aszú wine must contain 12% alcohol, no less, no more. But I noticed this calm and modest, permanently self-critical man''s inability to pronounce "better" without that rare shining in his eyes that gave away what I had already feared beforehand: the rarest bird of all, the one I couldn''t get hold of anywhere, is the best. Amber-orange, perhaps a tiny bit more deeply Cognac-coloured than the standard Danczka Dülö bottling? More closed than that wine on the nose, hence oakier and dried-fruitier, no doubt a phase, one I distinctly remember the previous wine used to be in a year or two ago. More Cognac-tinged candied apricot. At once more concentrated, more intense, denser as well as sweeter; although the biggest and most structured, and perhaps most primary (this still has some of the smokiness of young Aszú), of Szepsy''s four 1993 AEs, on top of it all it''s clearly the most balanced also. Better on the palate than on the nose today, complex, typically old-viney deep, nicely sweet and very, very long, with additional viscosity on the finish. This is almost certainly in a dormant phase, but the superior balance renders is still more harmonious than the others, as is typical of a superior wine, as is the fact that this still continued to improve in the glass despite the fact that it had been opened the night before. The most complete of all? No doubt of the Szepsy AEs. Rather less huge and overwhelming, while not necessarily fresher or racier, than the standard Danczka Dülö bottling.
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) tobacco ash, licorice stick, candied tangerine and tangerine rind, very sweet but with higher acidity, oilier but not less viscous than the standard Danczka Dülö bottling, more complex and deep. Dani was very impressed as well.
Rating: ~98

Before we turn to some Tokaji Natúr-Esszencias, quickly what I believe the Tokaji Aszú-Esszencia of the vintage might be. To the two IMHO most obvious candidates, I now have to add a third: Szepsy''s Danczka Szölöhegy, a wine that seems to offer everything that''s needed in abundance plus seems to be the most balanced of all. In contrast, Vince Gergely''s is the sweetest and lushest at least in balance (the one with the most material to live off in bottle, often a good thing in the long run), hiding its acidic backbone at this stage, but clearly the most floral and finesse-laden, as well as the longest of all. The Disznókö, on the other hand offers the lowest sweetness in combination with the most acidity plus that typical volcanic bitter note on top of; it''s really a extraordinarily structured wine of the earth, terrific terroir expression, backward no doubt, but so intense, concentrated and tight with reserve fruit at the core that everyone agrees there''s yet more to expect from it as it matures in bottle. Time will tell. What I would not have guessed, although I had hoped for it to happen for quite some time, is that Szepsy''s standard Danczka Dülö would approach the top three''s quality so closely.

Flight 3: "Esszencias I"

Stanza (Peter Vinding-Diers) Tokaji Eszencia Blue Capsule
0.7% alc., 21.8 g/l acids, 575 g/l r.s. Total production 120 liters, sold in small 100 ml bottles, a size that makes great sense for Esszencia, especially if one is planning to have a bottle alone or with maybe two more people. Victor was told by the German importer that this sample, same as the following, stems from the 1996 vintage, which I would not have guessed, but it''s unusually difficult to find vintage characteristics in Esszencia (guessing grape variety and site with Esszencia is feasible as long as it isn''t oxidized). What is clear is that this must at the very least have been cooled and stored oxidation free or it would not have such a pale colour and hold so little alcohol. Lightly orange yellow. Candied lemon and tangerine, intense, pure fruit, tropical and fresh, impressively high lemony acidity that almost keeps this from tasting Esszencia-sweet. This could offer more depth, too. The tiny medicinal austerity to the botrytis one often meets in young Loire Chenin Blanc. Not bad of course, but given this is Tokaji Esszencia, not so impressive.
Rating: 91

Stanza (Peter Vinding-Diers) Tokaji Eszencia Red Capsule
0.84% alc., 14.9 g/l acids, 708 g/l r.s. Same here, total production 120 liters, sold in small 100 ml bottles. Milky, more deeply orange yellow. Pours like honey. Baked fruit aromatics such as baked pear and lightly roasted Pakistani Mango and tropically ripe Papaya, reminding both Albino and me of the otherwordly sample of free-run 1999 vintage juice of 50% Furmint from Mézesmály plus 50% Harslevelü from Terezia at over 600 g/l r.s., which young winemaker Sarolta Bárdos served us directly out of a bucket in the newly-built Gróf Degenfeld winery in November 1999 (the most impossibly complex „barrel“ sample of Tokaji Esszencia I have ever tasted, no way I could ever erase it from my memory banks). Means we found reason to assume that this could, at least in part, stem from loess soil (isn’t Peter Vinding-Diers a co-owner of the Royal Tokaji Wine Company, which in turn owns, or at least claims to be owning, a part of the famous Mézesmály, along with Szarvas one of only two 1er Cru „hors classe“ classified vineyards, similarly to Yquem within Sauternes? – One can certainly find aromatic similarity to the 1993 RTWC 6P from Mézesmály here as well). On the other hand, if this is indeed a 1996, it could stem from all over the place and taste baked (most of the 1996s we tasted at an early stage were reminiscent of inverted caramelized apple tart ŕ la Bocuse, and many suffered from dusty-dry botrytis bitterness, at least before they were filtered, if at all, prior to bottling). Trying to draw a comparison from memory, I’d say the Stanza Red Capsule feels even sweeter in balance than what we tasted at Degenfeld, holding a no more than fair amount of nicely aromatic acidity, but I found it significantly less intense and complex, let alone deep, and while it is very long, it’s not as immensely long on the finish. In fact, despite the high residual sugar, it’s rather the acidity that remains on the aftertaste. I have difficulty believing this is as high in dry extract as the very best and ended up thinking it should feel chewier and more solid in the middle, instead of sugary-broad. All this being said, it is better than my criticism may lead one to believe, plus there is a chance it will continue to integrate in bottle and add focus to its mid-palate. I should add that Albino loved it so much, he even considered buying some, so who knows whether I (same as Victor, who agrees with my verdict) was overly critical? And while this is very expensive, I find it laudable that it is available in the 100 ml format (a part reason why Albino contemplates buying some). However, I keep wondering how stable this stuff can be at under one percent alcohol, I mean, isn’t there a risk it will start fermenting again (from what I’ve heard filtering yeasts and proteins from Esszencia is a near-impossibility, plus this didn’t look as if it had filtered at all, but rather a bit cloudy with what could well be yeast)?
Rating: 93+?

Flight 4: "Esszencias II"

Château Pajzos Tokaji Esszencia 1993
Bottle No. 0248 from the lot bottled on September 1, 1997, with 565 g/l r.s., 13.9 g/l acids, 4.59% alc. Contains Furmint, Harslevelü and Oremusz (now called Zéta, a good idea since the name Oremusz, with a sharp "s", almost sounds like that of András Bacsó''s Tolcsva-based and Vega Sicilia-owned winery Oremus), the latter the sugar-rich, reliably botrytis-susceptible and virtually acidity-free and tasteless grape variety (or clone?) that was quite widely planted and used during the Socialist era and that I find should be pulled up like weed. Its main (only?) advantage, as István Szepsy explained us at the Királyudvar winery in November 1999 while we tried our best to swallow a sample of a 100% Oremusz-based 1999 Esszencia with about 800 g/l r.s. and almost unnoticeable acidity, is that Oremusz offers the possibility to add sugar to an Aszú without having to add acidity along with it. Apart from the fact that I find its taste dull (even taking into account that it lacks acidity!), I''m afraid Oremusz may be much less resistant to oxidation. In fact I seen visible browning of a sample of the 1993 Pajzos Eszencia while it had been exposed to air. This effect was negligible with this bottle, though. Instead it was the best bottle of this wine I''ve so far tasted (Nedster, sitting opposite me at the tasting, immediately agreed with this verdict), or the best since the one just after release, which in hindsight I must have overrated due to my then still limited experience with top level Tokaj. Orange rather than amber colour. Smells very much like Grand Marnier Cognac, with orange blossom and apricot. Huge viscosity, incredibly fat glycerine and overwhelmingly sweet since lower in acidity than the best, mainly jammy and dried apricot, some pear and apple, but now again with as much inner-mouth florality as that first bottle after release, which came from the same lot and source. The acidity, while a bit low for optimal balance, is prettily aromatic and provides what the German Riesling vintners refer to as "Rückaroma" on the aftertaste. I still think this is more fructose- and sugar-laden than dense in the middle than the very best, but admire the (relative, given the jammy-even nature of the fruit and lower amount of acidity) freshness today, which goes beyond what I could have hoped for after a rather disappointing sample last year.
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) more straightforward apricot jam, a little smoke and quince, now yet longer. Should keep for a long time despite the Oremusz content. Dani, who''s never had this before, finds it too sweet (no doubt due to the borderline balance, after all there are Esszencias with a significantly higher residual sugar content that seem more balanced). Still available, this remains a relative QPR for Tokaji Esszencia.
Rating: 94? (an above average rating for this wine – once overrated this at release with 96 points, while a bottle last year showed the disadvantage of the percentage of Oremusz in the blend all too clearly)

Disznókö Tokaji Eszencia 1993
750 g/l r.s., 17.3 g/l acids, 4.5% alc. 374 bottles produced. The mahogany-brown with amber-yellow reflexes colour may be due to, as in the 1988 M.W.-B. Essencia, zero addition of sulphur. And it doesn''t merely look like a traditionally oxidized wine (I abhor the tendency in the press to use the word "tradition" for wines from the Socialist era in a primarily negative sense, to my mind the term "tradition" is should be reserved to the great winemaking of the past, before the decline beginning after the great 1912 vintage), it smells and tastes like one, too. Immediately reminded Albino and me of the legendary 1947 Esszencia with its melange of black tea, bitter chocolate and nutmeg from the oak, plus what seemed like a (pretty!) minor Aceto Balsamico volatility, to sweet dried fig and date, but also some more tropically-primary tangerine and dried apricot at the core. Perhaps even more concentrated than the aforementioned Borkombinát (now Kereskedöház) 1947, but less complex and long at this stage, this very long youth puts an emphasis on harmony and smooth mouthfeel at an early stage, and one can easily see it must have been made from extraordinarily clean material (the effort and result of the dry Aszú berry selection at this winery surpasses everything Albino and I have seen during our stay in Tokaj Hegyalja). Likely to be a candidate for perfection in the long run (an incredibly tough call, but I found Disznókö''s 2000, still a barely fermented barrel sample last year, even more impressive, more balanced despite lower acidity, while in both wines, the volcanic terroir typicity of this great 1er Cru site, the Rangen de Thann-like quincy bitter note among other, still needs to surface), but among the stylistically reminiscent I liked the at least as oxidised but more tactile and at the core more densely primary-tropical 1988 M.W.-B. Essencia at least as well (that wine''s rare wine auction hammer price was almost exactly equivalent to the frightening 555.- EURO per 500 ml bottle the Disznókö costs in Germany)
With prolonged airing (retasting the wines with Dani back home) virtually unchanged except that the acidity seems lower now, while the mouthfeel has become superbly round and smooth. Liquid mahogany. Dani finds this overwhelming; I noticed he almost choked on the first sip, then silently shook his head. But he was impressed with the complexity. If I had money to burn, I''d still rather buy some of Marta''s 1999 on subscription, which is even higher in dry extract (the Disznókö has approximately 80 g/l) and acidity, less smooth but more intense – and which costs less (although in case of doubt, really impossible to tell in young Esszencia, I would assume that Disznókö products are made from as perfectly clean material as one can imagine, and in this regard, the saftest cellar candidates for those among us who are planning to hold on to wine for centuries)!
Rating: 97+

M.W.-B. Pince KFT (Marta Wille-Baumkauff) Tokaji Essencia Tarcal-Deák 1999
More probably labelled:
Tokaj Pendits (Marta Wille-Baumkauff) Tokaji Essencia 1999
This will probably be marketed under and labelled with the winery’s new name „Tokaj Pendits“ (named after the historic 1er Cru site near Abaújszántó that Marta has added to her holdings), and according to her new philosophy may not bear the vineyard’s name where this actually stems from: Deák near Tarcal (Marta once told me Deák means "one who speaks Latin"). Stats presented by Victor this time are 1.28% alcohol, 618 g/l r.s., 23.3 g/l acidity, (plus I remember it''s got 99.9 g/l dry extract). Barrel sample that reached Victor''s place via (and thanks to!) Eric. This is the wine that can currently be bought on subscription (60 bottles marketed, available in autumn 2003). Free-run juice of almost pure Furmint, with very little Harslevelü. Unfortunately it was a bit murky in colour, lacked acidity and freshness, and seemed lighter than usually overall? Secondary fermentation or bacteria due to an unclean bottle? Nevertheless those who had never had this before thought it great enough, like a medium-stale pear jelly. Back at my place I served Nedster, who had apparently missed tasting this every time Albino and I tasted it and/or served it to friends, a nice sip, so he''d understand why all who had known this beforehand had complained that the sample at the tasting must have gone off on way or the other. More luminescent orange colour, more glyceric and thick, more quince and a little mango to the pear flavour, much fresher and racier, and longer with the almost breathtaking "Rückaroma" on the aftertaste from the obviously higher acidity. Believe me, not a day has passed since I received the subscription offer that I didn''t think about ordering some. But what''s the purpose of bottling this elixir in the traditional 500 ml bottle (serves 20 to 25 people)?
Rating: No rating for the unclean sample, but other recent samples were 98-99+?

After a short break used to wash up and prepare dinner, we turned to the leisurely part. Only Sam''s contribution, the Corton-Charlemagne, was served non-blind, but some of us knew and made known during blind-guessing that the three magnums of dry red wine were all from the 1990 vintage. Victor, as usually, unearthed some rare gems form his cellar.

Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne 1996
Sam''s contribution. Medium-pale yellow-green. Lime rind, pepperminst, medium butteriness, some minerality, chives and a little persil on the nose. On the palate dominated at this stage by razor-sharp acidity and not so subtle stone dust minerality. Quite long. Although quite concentrated, this carries little fat, which yields a quite intense but lean mouthfeel. I prefer the Bonneau du Martray in this vintage, but find this better than I would have expected. It certainly deserves more patience.
Rating: 91+?

Coche-Dury Bourgogne Pinot Noir 1999
A bottle Victor handed me when I asked for something to rinse the red wine glasses (after all Burgundy, Bordeaux and Port stems for ten people), so only tasted in passing. Dusty but clean, pretty fruit, some beef and brown spice, perhaps Indian Garam Masala, some metals unerneath, a little dried herbs, well-balanced and quite long wine that in absolute terms could be denser and more powerful, but that is simply very tasty and a fine QPR. Rainer liked it, too.
Rating: 86-87

Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia 1990
Deep garnet with an orange rim. I immediately exclaimed that this looks like a barrique-aged Nebbiolo, and possibly put everybody on the wrong tracks. Black cherry on the nose, a little charcoal and more tar, truffle and an appley aroma, violety old English rose, some spice. On the palate black cherry with some rose-hip and blood orange, sweet fruit in contrast to hard tannin. Quite long. We quickly came to the consensus that it had to be the 1990 Sperss, only harder because it was from a magnum from Victor''s cool cellar, although it''s true that this is fruitier and perhaps juicier, although not sweeter, but the similarity is remarkable. And while it is almost as concentrated, it isn''t denser. The main problem with this guess was that I knew Victor has never held the 1990 Sperss in especially high regard (he says the Gaja is less deeply coloured and concentrated, plus has harder tannin, i.e. he sees all three of these aspects the other way round, which I find puzzling, in particular the disagreement regarding the relative darkness of colour), and that it was neither likely that he owned any in this format or that he''d serve anything but a wine he loves at what after all was his belated birthday party. But when I asked Rainer, who I knew had had this three times already, if this could be the 1990 Granbussia (this was the first time I tasted this vintage of Granbussia), he denied, perhaps because we were all so convinced it had to be a barrique-aged Barolo. I thought this delicious right after it had been served, but can''t say I find this as convincing as Victor, who repeatedly told that he is a great fan of Aldo Conterno Barolo. In fact, as fine as I found this with dinner, when it had already been opened for about eight hours, the more worried I became when I witnessed that it started browning visibly and got rather murky in colour already later in the evening, smelling distinctly oxidized, and eventually was no more than a shadow of its former self by the next morning, a phenomenon that usually makes me feel tempted to back into my score. While in many ways a more serious vintage of Granbussia than the 1995 I could taste earlier this year, I would have expected a bigger wine, especially given the auction euphoria in recent years, and in particular a more stable, oxidation-resistant brand of Nebbiolo. None of this diminishes how pleased I am to finally have been given the opportunity to taste one the 1990 Piedmontese that, among those I haven''t had, I had been most curious about, plus how tasty this was with the roast wild boar.
Rating: 93-94?

Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Vieilles Vignes 1990
Also from magnum. This wine caused considerable disagreement between Victor and me when he put a half bottle into a small 1990 horizontal blind tasting three years ago, because I "only" rated it 94+ (as far as I am concerned, such a high score means I found the wine truly outstanding and even thought it probable that it might turn out great with age, and certainly not that I ''d suggest something was wrong with it, let alone that I didn''t appreciate it). None of this matters given the performance of the large format today (red Burgundy and half bottles, in my experience, aren''t made for each other in the first place). Garnet-blue with a ruby-pink rim. Sweet nose and palate impression, flowery, cedary, with some of the typical Musigny blood orange to the cherry coulis, a soft but pretty beefiness, some licorice, light toastiness and tender caramel, and some minerality and with airing a whiff of horse sweat. Very sweet and ripe and smooth mouthfeel, an almost eerie sense of balance, extraordinary concentration and density. Very, very long. Solid acidity and big but perfectly fine quality tannin. Lusher, denser and sweeter than that aromatically and in terms of complexity similar bottle we had in 1999. A seemingly perfectly-made Pinot Noir, except that I don''t find it as terroir-typical as e.g. Roumier''s Musigny in its greatest renditions (e.g. in 1993), plus what leftover Victor showed me the next morning seemed to have completely disintegrated. It''s terroir-tyical enough that we guessed its identity, or did we simply remember more about the wine than one would think? Truth be told, seeing the unusual deep blue hue here I can''t help thinking of what John Gilman said regarding possible colour extraction via warm maceration at Vogüé, which, if true, may contribute to the fact that there is something "internationalized" about this that I find difficult to grasp in words (not the new oak toastiness that is obviously there or any sign of harshness due to overextraction, although in a way, what I mentioned before would technically be overextraction, wouldn''t it?). I''m more of a believer in cold maceration and support the view that everything should be done so that a maximum of Pinot Noir''s finesse and subtlety is preserved, and if I had to venture a guess, would assume that warming the must may potentially put this main goal at risk, perhaps the more so long term? But what can I report other than that this drinks splendidly after about eight hours in the decanter but couldn''t stand 24 when only a small portion had been saved, certainly that doesn''t prove the 1990 Vogüé Musigny is a potential time bomb? We all loved it, and if John Gilman is wrong (still hope he is), my score might even look a bit stingy in a decade or more. I can''t say I know something''s the matter, but my instinct suggests modern Vogüé needs careful observation, and I''m no longer putting my money at stake to find out what will happen to these wines in bottle.
Rating: 96+?

Beauséjour – Duffau-Lagarrosse St. Emilion 1990
One of my three favourite right bank Bordeaux of the vintage (along with Lafleur and Pétrus; unfortunately never had a TCA-free bottle of the Cheval Blanc), and, as far as I remember from a comparative tasting, among them by far the darkest-coloured and biggest wine (even more powerful than the Angélus). From magnum stored at 11 degrees Celsius today impenetrable garnet-black. Toasted oak, Cabernet Franc-typical roasted green bell pepper, freshly-laid asphalt, black cherry coulis and raisins, some fried green tomato and leather, caramelized sugar, roasted nuts, plus a sour lactic (sour butter) note. No wonder those who tried to guess, including myself, said Cheval Blanc (not that I could claim to know the 1990). Extremely full-bodied on the palate, more than just an aspect of eau de vie-like overripeness, quite oaky, very compact and youthful, superconcentrated and dense, with quite hard tannin. The 13.8% alcohol, if not frightening or out of balance, is a bit too much for me. Powerful, consistent and long on the finish. When Victor revealed it was not Cheval Blanc we were all in serious trouble guessing its identity; although Mission and Angélus would have been my next best choices, I couldn''t convince myself that either could be so oversized even from a coolly stored magnum, and I thought this lacked too much refinement and elegance to be the Pétrus (also, the Cabernet Franc note was simply too obvious). We finally got to the truth somehow. Wine Of The Vintage material, no doubt, but I''d prefer revisiting this at age twenty to fifty. Which should be absolutely no problem for this monster, which I found most impressive for its resistance to oxidation in the glass (of course it had already been decanted for about eight hours), I could let it stand until enough of the alcohol has blown off for my taste (difficult to drink this in quantity, at least at this early stage), and it only got longer, the tiniest bit prunier and added some lovely tobacco ash and smoke, but certainly refused to suffer. I often find that people underestimate oxidation resistance, it''s a characteristic of many truly great and most legendary wines. One of the biggest Bordeaux I know, if a fluke for the producer, and even though I like my claret more civilized and refined, I continue to be mightily impressed and would not be surprised this were yet more to my taste when it reaches maturity.
Rating: 96-97+

The Ports were served blind as well. As people were getting tired, Victor decided not to open the third in line, a Nacional 1962, which I would have been immensely curious about, since I don''t know it, but read that there''s significant disagreement between Parker (who rates it 98 points, i.e. among the very best) and Suckling (86 points, which in view of the overall quality of the vintage sounds more likely) as to its quality.
Beware: The following two TNs are only of academic interest (perhaps recommended reading for Fine Wine newbies).

Fonseca Vintage Port 1977
With what 1977 Fonseca I have tasted, I have come to the conclusion that there must have been such a craze about this wine, and so much must have been bought and sold at a profit, auctioned and shipped across Europe or even all over the world that it has become a near impossibility to find a bottle that''s been well-stored. It''s a pity that this has to happen to such great wines, but it''s no more than logical that many of the best wines are among the most sought-after.
At its best, the 1977 Fonseca can be perfection, one of the greatest Vintage Ports I know, but poor Victor, who''s bought this one in Belgium, apparently hasn''t come across a perfect bottle so far, in part since all Albino and I served him until now were two too advanced ones from the former Swiss importer Sousa (visually perfect they were, except for the barely into neck fill of the first – of course we served these with our best intentions, the second mainly because we couldn''t believe the merely about outstanding performance of the first). I hope we''ll be able to convince Albino to open a bottle of the best lot we''ve tasted when Victor is present (and Nedster and the remainder of the bunch, none of whom appears to have had a perfect bottle of Fonseca 1977 in their lives).
On to the TN: Medium ruby-black. Honeyed cherry and plum, cedar, a minor violet note and intense brandy on the nose. Noticeably more complex on the palate than the two Sousa bottles we''d opened at earlier tastings where Victor was present, with medium-to-hard tannin (the only aspect about this that I''d have accepted as feasible for the bottling and vintage, only that the tannin should be buried in thick fruit), high acidity and quite hot on the finish and aftertaste, but quite viscous and long. Most of us guessed Graham as far as flavour profile was concerned, and I assumed it had to be a 1977 for the hardness of the tannin – of course the problem then was that I knew the 1977 Graham stopped being so hard a few years ago, and the only other vintages with tannin this hard seemed out of the question, 1966 because you''d expect a 1966 Graham to be infinitely better (so it would have had to be another producer''s 1966, most likely Fonseca, which in turn the Swiss know as a much better wine than what we were tasting) and 1983 (another wine I tasted relatively recently and that one would expect to be warm but never this hot) because we could tell this was older (the idea that Victor would serve Port from lesser vintages was contemplated in passing but rejected as improbable). In short, we were unable to tell what it was.
Rating: ~91-93? (best earlier rating 100 points for a bottle Albino bought at Fortnum & Mason in 1996, and that in contrast to the Swiss bottles didn''t look as if it had been particularly well-stored, i.e. when Albino showed the bottles to me, I told him I would probably not have bought them and quickly singled out the one that looked worst, if I remember correctly, with a cork that was pushed up by a few millimetres, although that doesn''t necessarily mean a bottle was cooked or frozen, but that was a quite soft to the touch – the content proved virtually black in colour, just like a barrel sample, and stained our teeth and palates with extraordinarily complex and dense fruit and an endless finish that I realize now still lingers to this day. Albino, who went to a billiards tournament the following day, was so elated that he proceeded to win it "marching through the chart as if nothing could stop him", in part I fear because he couldn''t stop raving, telling all his opponents, hardly one of them being a fine wine lover, about the magic potion he''d drunk the night before…).

Fonseca Vintage Port 1970
I was surprised to note that nobody minded the tiny Madeira aroma on the nose, instead people simply agreed that a small oxidation note is normal in mature Vintage Port. Don''t get me wrong, the wine was quite delicious. But while there was little harm this bottle, I have had more youthfully muscular 1970 Fonseca, and in particular, cannot accept that age thirty implicitly means full maturity or even old age for Vintage Port, let alone that one has to expect an at all noticeable amount of oxidation.
Why I go to such length on this? Because it becomes increasingly "normal" that mature bottles of Port hitting the market are at least slightly misstored, with wine merchants and auction houses claiming that Port is virtually indestructible (that''s if at all only true for Madeira), although only five or so years ago, the situation (at least in Europe) used to be so much better; not one bottle of 1963, 1966 or 1970 we bought at half the price of today''s release price of the respective 2000s back then has ever shown signs of fatigue, at least none acquired in Great Britain (Albino and I once bought overly advanced 1970 Taylor''s in Austria, Nedster and I even more problematic 1966 Sandeman''s in Italy). Now how about Port lovers and potential customers who are trying to convince themselves that there''s nothing more to expect? Indeed, a perfectly-stored bottle of 1970 Fonseca should be noticeably short of full maturity to begin with (last perfectly-stored bottle I remember had an almost impenetrably dark while fresh-looking colour, and boasted masses of fruit and tannin, both as if made of steel).
Now the history of this bottle is that Erik bought it from Theo Morgenschweiss, who according to Victor is Germany''s most highly regarded Port wine importer and who apparently bought this from Berry Bros. & Rudd in London, probably one of most reliable shops to buy Vintage Port from on this planet, except that this bottle of 1970 Fonseca was not bottled and stored by Berry Bros., and that''s where one should act with caution nowadays.
Label says Oporto-bottled and Mentzendorff of London imported. Lightly murky ruby colour with an amber hue (again, nobody thought this aspect worthy of mention). Complex nose offers aromas of strawberry, sweet cherry, Havanna tobacco and cedar, along with a whiff of Madeira, which seemed to contribute to the quite pretty rum cake- and coffee-flavoured fruit that this impressively dense wine exhibits on entry. Of course the Madeira note reappeared on the finish (someone said the finish was resiny, an impression I shared due to the combination of sugary viscosity, cedar and Madeira-like oxidation) and remained on the aftertaste after the very long rum cake fruit flavours had faded. I guess that without the undue madeirization, no matter how minor, this bottle could have been similarly great as the best I''ve had, from a purely qualitative point of view. Instead this was "only" delicious and fun to drink, i.e. the positive aspect about it was that it also happened to be more forward in evolution than it should have been without having suffered as much as most other misstored and/or leaking bottles of Port I''ve tasted over the years (luckily very few, the best other faulty bottle of Vintage Port I remember being a 1970 Nacional that had obviously been stored at almost room temperature and that seemed almost perfectly mature, which that wine cannot or should not be, with the surprising result that after a certain cardboardiness had blown off, it was near perfection – but one seldom gets so lucky, and I wouldn''t push my luck trying to achieve such a result on purpose!).
If I had to guess, I would say that our bottle of 1970 Fonseca today could even have been stored properly enough, if hardly exceptionally coolly, but that the cork seal wasn''t 100% perfect but still quite close to it. Or it would seem inexplicable why this was still so good (especially considering the advanced and murky colour). Needless to emphasize, we weren''t able to guess its identity (yours truly, convinced it was ever-so-slightly madeirized, thought it futile to begin with).
Rating: ~94? (at best, i.e. neglecting the faulty aspects and concentrating on the positive – a perfect bottle would rate 97)

Some of us weren''t falling asleep yet, and someone had a corkscrew handy:

Domaine de la Rectorie Banyuls Cuvée Léon Parcé 1996
Ruby-black. Complex, good sweetness, nicely structured, balanced, pretty fruit of nice raciness and medium-plus freshness, quite viscous and very long finish.
Rating: 91+?

Greetings from Switzerland, David.