Description
Szamorodni is one of the classic sweet wine styles of Tokaj, famous for its botrytized sweet wines. Botrytis is a special mould (also known as “noble rot”), essential to produce these sweet wines. In Tokaj there are several harvests for the different styles of wine. For Szamorodni, whole grape bunches, with a mixture of healthy and botrytized berries, are harvested—hence its name, which means “as it comes” in the old Polish language. Historically, the wine was also called főbor (main wine), until a Polish wine merchant popularized the name Szamorodni. Poland was (and still is) one of the most important markets for Tokaj’s sweet wines. This sweet Szamorodni is 100 percent Furmint, from the historic grand cru Király dűlő (vineyard), located in the town of Mád. The vineyard is one of the region’s best and highest altitude sites, with red clay soil and volcanic rhyolite that enhances the wine’s acidity and gives a crushed-stone-like minerality. The Tokaj region has had several vineyard classifications during its 500+ year history, and in every one this vineyard is rated as first class (grand cru). It’s named “Király” because it used to be owned by the king. Szamorodni wines are required to have a minimum residual sugar level of 45 grams per liter. With 149 grams, this extraordinary wine has more than three times the concentration of a basic Szamorodni. It is balanced by 7.8 grams of acidity. This wine was fermented in new Hungarian oak barrels, and was aged for 12 months in previously-used 225-liter Hungarian oak barrels. It then rested for one year in the bottle before being released. This is a very full-bodied wine, with intense aromas of apricot, acacia honey, and dried mangoes. It has a rich and balanced palate, with juicy acidity and round sweetness. Try it with any kind of spicy Asian food, or next to pungent cheeses.
