1999 Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos Lapis

When we last met, Szepsy had just embarked on a new venture called Kiralyudvar ("the court of the kings"), in which American Anthony Hwang is the principle investor. This project involves controlling 240 acres of vineyards in eight different crus. Szepsy (assisted by enologist Zoltan Demeter, whose own estate wines I did not taste) will call the shots in both the vineyards and the cellar. And this is no ordinary cellar. Atop the ruins of a site that goes back to Hungarian nobility of the 12th century, Szepsy and his architect have constructed a winemaking enclave as striking in its understated, cloister‑like appearance as it is subtly fine‑tuned to replicate the methods of "Domain Szepsy" on a larger scale. Production from Szepsy own 48-acre estate in Mad will continue to be vinified there (eventually in another new facility) but be bottled at Kiralyudvar. And, thanks to very tiny yields, that production will continue to be minuscule. I tasted his current offerings from the estate, but not the wines in barrel. (For notes from barrel on the estate's '97s and '98s, please consult Issue 86.) Both in Mad and at Kiralyudvar, Szepsy's intention is to concentrate entirely on two sorts of wine. The first will be highly concentrated "noble late harvest," which can be bottled early. The second sort will be Tokaji Aszu of 6 puttonyos, although in actuality these bottlings will always far surpass the legal minimums set for this category. For Tokaj Aszu, Szepsy extracts with fermenting must, preferring the high percentage of CO2 ready accessibility, and active yeasts that this technique guarantees. He says he crushed his last Aszu berry in '97, preferring now to macerate intact berries. Szepsy reserves the right to bottle some single-vineyard wines at Kiralyudvar, although he expects for now to create a blend. "First, I want to know just what is the terroir Then, I'll decide how to use it." Thankfully, this great winemaker reports that he has reached an arrangement by which his estate wines will shortly be available in the United States. The wines of Kiralyudvar, meantime, will be imported by Robert Chadderdon Selections (New York, NY).