Royal Tokaji Company:
2018 New Releases

BY NEAL MARTIN |&nbsp;OCTOBER 23, 2024Tokaji is one of the great wines of the world. It’s
such a pity that sweet wines are out of fashion among today’s wine lovers
because those Aszú berries conjure remarkable sweet wines (and, for that
matter, dry too) that remain of&nbsp;great value. It wasn’t Yquem or German TBA
that prompted Louis XIV to declare Tokaji “The Wine of Kings and the King of
Wine”. Tokaji was the favorite tipple of Catherine the Great, Napoleon III,
Beethoven, Goethe and, of course, wine writer Hugh Johnson. Johnson, together
with winemaker Istvan Szepsy and 63 local growers, established
the Royal Tokaji Company in 1989, which became the catalyst for a widespread
revival. I was fortunate to visit their winery in the
town of Mád a few years ago, a fascinating venture that I hope to repeat one
day. Royal Tokaji recently dispatched their
newly released 2018 vintages to the UK. Head winemaker&nbsp;Zoltan Kovács hails
them as a “Royal Flush” because, for the first time since 2006, he has been
able to make a 6-Puttonyos from all their single vineyards. So, I was eager to
see whether the wines matched expectations.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1729630159078-royal+tokaji+bottles+%282%29.jpg">The 2018 Growing SeasonThe region enjoyed a hot summer with temperatures frequently exceeding 35 ̊C that predicated the earliest harvest ever recorded. Light showers between August and October resulted in a record quantity of Aszú berries. However,&nbsp;overall, 2018 is a small harvest, which finished on November 14. A higher proportion of new oak (40%) was used for this vintage, and the wines were matured for two years before bottling in June 2021.Tasting through these wines I can see why Kovács is so excited by the 2018 vintage. The standout is clear. The 2018 Tokaji Mézes Mály 6-Puttonyos encapsulates everything that is great about contemporary Tokaji&nbsp;and&nbsp;is one of the finest Tokaji wines&nbsp;I have ever tasted. God invented wine so He could drink wines like this. On the other hand, I must be honest; I could not fathom the Tokaji Nyulászó 6-Puttonyos, which sported an incongruous peppermint element that would not dislodge with aeration. Between those two, Kovács has overseen some wonderful Tokaji wines that I thoroughly recommend.© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/disznoko-tokaji-latest-releases-apr-2024">Disznókő Tokaji: Latest Releases</a>, Neal Martin, April 2024 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/royal-tokaji-2017-latest-releases-sep-2021">Royal Tokaji: 2017 Latest Releases</a>, Neal Martin, September 2021 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vinous.com/articles/royal-tokaji-co-disznoko-latest-releases-aug-2020">Royal Tokaji Co. &amp; Disznókő - Latest Releases</a>, Neal Martin, August 2020 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/mad-idea-royal-tokaji-1990-2013-jul-2019">Mád Idea: Royal Tokaji 1990-2013</a>, Neal Martin, July 2019

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