Royal Tokaji 2017 Aszú: tasting the new releases

The vintage

The 2017 vintage marked a ‘new era’ of Royal Tokaji, said MD Charlie Mount, because it was the first made fully under the supervision of winemaker Zoltán Kovács, who joined the producer as winery director after having worked with another Tokaji estate, Disznókő, for 11 years.

Scroll down to see the six Royal Tokaji 2017 tasting notes and scores

It was an ‘outstanding, opulent’ vintage, according to the producer, bearing similarities to the extraordinary 2013, although thanks to ‘even temperatures and rainfall throughout the year’, the 2017 vintage showed ‘better final balance and higher acidities’.

Considerably more Aszú wines were made for the 2017 vintage compared to 2016, which suffered a reduction in yields due to frosts in spring.

Botrytis first appeared after a hot August, which encouraged early ripening. ‘Light but widespread’ precipitation at the end of August and the beginning of September helped the onset of noble rot. The ‘textbook’ morning mist and warm temperatures in October resulted in ‘plenty’ of quality Aszú berries, said Kovács.

‘We believe the 2017 Aszús are on a par with our greatest vintages of 1993, 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2008,’ according to the producer.

Also read:

Tokaji sweetness – What is Aszú and why is it special?

Vinification

The shrivelled, botrytis-affected berries from the 2017 harvest were macerated in fermenting must for two days to extract the sugar and complex flavours of noble rot.

Royal Tokaji’s classic Blue Label and Gold label were fermented in stainless steel tanks before moving into 300L or 500L Hungarian oak barrels.

Following the 2013 and 2016 vintage, 2017 is Royal Tokaji’s third release of single-vineyard Aszú wines, including four wines sourced from ‘First Growth’ sites Szt.Tamás, Nyulászó, Betsek and the ‘Great First Growth’ site Mézes Mály respectively.

Kovács fermented and matured the 2017 single-vineyards in 300L or 500L oak casks in an effort to ‘increase their complexity and give them greater depth’.

The wines

Co-founded in 1990 by wine author and historian Hugh Johnson, Royal Tokaji is now exporting to 30 countries around the world, with the USA and South Korea being its largest overseas market.

The Blue Label is the producer’s best-known Aszú wine, sold as Red Label in the USA. The 2017 vintage remained the most refreshing among the whole Aszú range, although the acidity has dropped from the razor-sharp 9.9g/l in 2016 to 7.9g/l. The drop in acidity also appeared in the producer’s other 2017 Aszús, which coincides with a warmer vintage. Once again its sugar level (158 g/l) sits well above the hallmark for 5 puttonyos (120g/l).

The 2017 Gold Label is made with 100% Furmint, with top-quality Aszú berries sourced from across the producer’s vineyards, including the classed growths. The 2017 version of the 6 puttonyos Aszú displayed a more vinous nose than the Blue Label and a more intense texture than the 2016 version. Its power, complexity and consistency in quality again excelled among the producer’s Aszú range.

The 2017 Nyulászó is another top performer of the 2017 vintage. With the highest residual sugar (203.3 g/l) among all six 2017 Aszú wines from the producer, Nyulászó maintained a well-lifted body, thanks to its solid varietal acidity and multi-layered palate. Royal Tokaji also produces an excellent dry Furmint from this ‘First Growth’ site, which further demonstrates the sophistication of its flavour profile.

As one of the only two ‘Great First Growth’ sites in Tokaji, Mézes Mály (Royal Tokaji owns 11 of its 19 hectares) presented a distinctive nose among the other 2017 single-vineyard Aszús by the producer; bruised fruits, minerals and even a touch of candied red fruits. The south-facing, volcanic soils combined with warmer weather of 2017 resulted in a riper and broader version than 2016.

Szt.Tamás is another 100% Furmint Aszú from the range, sourced from the estate’s 30-year-old vines. Another ‘First Growth’ site, it slopes southwest-west, featuring red clay soils. The 2017 vintage is spiced and honeyed on the nose and the palate, mellow but well-structured.

The Betsek site is rich in clay and dark humus and chalk-white minerals, which tends to produce ‘weighty and spicy’ wines. The 2017 version features freshly-cut ginger spiciness on the nose and the palate.

Royal Tokaji’s 2017 single-vineyard Aszú wines will be released by allocation this autumn.

Royal Tokaji 2017 Aszú: Our verdict

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