2016 Royal Tokaji Essencia
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Royal Tokaji has released only eight vintages of Essencia in the last three decades: 1993, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009. A fallow period ensued until the imminent release of the 2016 in September/October, limited to 2,300 half-bottles in individual red lacquer boxes with hand-crafted crystal spoons.
The season witnessed uneven fruit set in spring followed by almost perfect conditions, avoiding hailstorms in August. Widespread botrytis followed that augured for a great harvest until rain spoiled September. Yet high-quality aszú berries could be picked, several tries through the vineyard to select perfectly raisined berries. Each picker gathered around five kilos of fruit per day, and around 40 kilos are required to make just half a bottle of Essencia. Consequently, picking was not finished until early November. The free-run aszú juice, eked out by gravity drop by drop, was bottled in glass demijohns and left to ferment in Royal Tokaji’s cool 13th-century cellars. Such high sugar levels meant aging creeps along at a snail’s pace. By December 2019, there was still only 1.9% alcohol, the whopping 535g/L residual sugar counterbalanced by the 15.5g/L acidity.
Royal Tokaji has released only eight vintages of Essencia in the last three decades: 1993, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009. A fallow period ensued until the imminent release of the 2016 in September/October, limited to 2,300 half-bottles in individual red lacquer boxes with hand-crafted crystal spoons.
