Royal Tokaji Company: 2018 New Releases
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Tokaji 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 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 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.
The 2018 Growing Season
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The Royal Tokaji Company hailed 2018 as a “Royal Flush”, the first where every single vineyard produced a 6-Puttonyos. Are they bluffing? Or is it the real deal?
