Tokay Choices?

For things that don't fit into the other categories.

Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil

Post Reply
Moses Botbol
Posts: 5923
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:38 am
Location: Boston, USA

Tokay Choices?

Post by Moses Botbol »

Could someone mention some reasonable Tokay choices for me?
Welsh Corgis | F1 |British Cars
Frederick Blais
Posts: 2706
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
Location: Porto, Portugal

Post by Frederick Blais »

Hummm Tokay, 2nd best nectar of the Gods :lol:

Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos, either blue or red label. For the year, 93 and 99 have probably been the more favorable recently but I never had a bad exemple even from a less acclaimed year like 94.

For me 6 putts and essencia worth a try but they are heavy and sticky lacking the freshness and pleasure the 5 putts brings.

If you have a list or website I could browse for you, I'd be happy to pick any recommendation for you. Royal Tokaji is probably the most available and easy to find house of Tokaji. It was founded by wine critic and writer Hugh Johnson and the quality is always excellent
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
User avatar
Paul Eddy
Posts: 75
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:01 am
Location: Perth , Scotland, United Kingdom - UK

Post by Paul Eddy »

I agree with Frederick the Royal Tokay is good stuff and does not disappoint. I have also had a few Crown Estate Tokay and these too were very good and worth a punt, likewise with Disnoko. I have mainly had 93 97,99 and 2000.

I also concur that the 5 putts is a good starting point. I once had a 6 putts and it was a little sickly if you wanted more than a glass.

Paul.
Port is the wine of the Maritime Left
Todd Pettinger
Posts: 2022
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:59 am
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Post by Todd Pettinger »

I have never tried a Tokay. What is it like? Sticky-type of wine?
Frederick Blais
Posts: 2706
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
Location: Porto, Portugal

Post by Frederick Blais »

It is a sweet white wine from Hungary. In September they do a first harvest to make dry white wine. Then in October/November depending on maturity and botrytis on the grapes, they do a second harvest with full of sugar grapes.

They then mix the dry wines with the sweet botrytised grapes. 1 dose of the sweet mix = 1 Puttonyos. So the more you add, the sweeter it is. The trick here is to get the richness and the flavours from the late harvested grapes and the acidity for the balance and freshness from the dry wine. For me this is the perfect mixt and it is why it ages so well, much more than Sauternes.

To compare with Sauternes, it is mainly cheaper and it ages efortless too.
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
User avatar
Otto Nieminen
Posts: 366
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:48 am
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Contact:

Re: Tokay Choices?

Post by Otto Nieminen »

Moses Botbol wrote:Could someone mention some reasonable Tokay choices for me?
Do you like the "old" slightly oxidative style or the newer, fresh style? Or are you open to both?

I think Disznókö is good as mentioned above (pre-1993 was in a more oxidative style, but I like what they did in both styles). Oremus is also really nice but I have a huge gap in vintages: 1983 was just lovely in the old style, 1993 onwards it has also been in an unoxidative.

It's difficult to find, but 4 Putts is IMO the most balanced - not too sweet but with good weight. I don't mind a 5 or 6 Putt either, and I do appreciate a small drop of Aszú Eszencia or (though the prices are horrible) Escenzia on occasion.

-O-
Todd Pettinger
Posts: 2022
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:59 am
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Post by Todd Pettinger »

Thanks for the lesson Fred. Sounds like something I might like to try very much. I recently tried a late harvest riesling wine from Canada which had about half the sweetness (maybe a tad more) of an ice wine, but also a crisp, biting acidity, which I enjoyed very much. :yumyum: Sounds like this might be similar and definitely something I will have to try.

I imagine it is typically served slight chilled?
Frederick Blais
Posts: 2706
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
Location: Porto, Portugal

Post by Frederick Blais »

The flavours are more intense and the acidity more grip in Tokaji, but it is somewhere near a rich vidal late harvest if we can say so :)
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
Todd Pettinger
Posts: 2022
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:59 am
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Post by Todd Pettinger »

Wasting no time, I have just tried a Dunavár Connoisseur Collection 2004. 500 mL bottle. I am guessing that this is a 'starting point' type of the Tokaji wines, because it was cheap, but no indication of any number of "putts" anywhere on the bottle. It was the only one at the store that I visited last night, so I had to settle for what was there. ;)

Sharp acidity, tasting of pears and white grapes, it was not very sweet (certainly not as sweet as I was expecting) but had a freshness and crispness that makes me interested to try different bottles/producers to see if I can find one that I like more than this one.

Todd
Gary Banker
Posts: 665
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:08 pm
Location: Shirley, Massachusetts, United States of America - USA

Post by Gary Banker »

If you do not have a real sweet tooth, I would agree with Otto that the 4 putts tokaji aszu is a good place to start. I start with the 5 putts and prefer the 6 putts that I have had (Royal Tokaji, and Disznoko). I have a half-dozen of the 1993 Aszu Essencia, which is about 8 putts and about 7.5% alcohol. Try it if you get a chance. It's very different from the others. I would lick it off the floor if I spilled any.

The 2000 Royal Tokaji red label 5 putts was highly rated in the WS top 100 and is widely available.
User avatar
Roy Hersh
Site Admin
Posts: 21427
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:27 am
Location: Sammamish, WA
Contact:

Post by Roy Hersh »

The vast majority of bottles I have had were from 1993 and almost all have been really fun to drink. Diznoko is often times my favorite with 5 or 6 Puttanyos, but it would be easy to list many others. I still own some great bottles from 1975, 1929 and 1930 too. I had a few from 1837 but they are sadly now long gone. The last of those great bottles was opened for Christian Seely one night, after we finished off a long tasting of Nacional vintages in Miami.

I have very much enjoyed the older bottlings as they morph into very different types of wines than the young ones (meaning 1993 or earlier).
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
User avatar
Eric Ifune
Posts: 3397
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:02 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America - USA

Post by Eric Ifune »

I've a couple of bottles from the 1950's including a 6 put 1959 muscat. Forget the Hungarian name for the grape variety off the top of my head.
User avatar
Andy Velebil
Posts: 16613
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:49 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States of America - USA
Contact:

Post by Andy Velebil »

Thanks for all the info on this topic. I've had a few younger tokaji's and I've always enjoyed them, even the inexpensive ones. So it was good to get some insight into them from this thread.

Todd, grab a bottle and give it a taste and let us know.
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
User avatar
Roy Hersh
Site Admin
Posts: 21427
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:27 am
Location: Sammamish, WA
Contact:

Post by Roy Hersh »

Although Tokay is officially acceptable, the more "accurate" or accepted name is Tokaji. The first is pronounced as it is written, the second is pronounced TOE-KIGH (the last syllable like a hard "i" as in the word high.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Todd Pettinger
Posts: 2022
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:59 am
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Post by Todd Pettinger »

Andy and all,

I'm still looking for a half decent one. Unsurprisingly, not many wine shops around here carry Tokaji/Tokay. When I ask, some employees of the stores look at me like I am trying to speak a foreign language to them, which I suppose, based on the level of ignorance demonstrated by 90%+ of the kids that work in liquor stores nowadays, shouldn't surprise me in the least.

When I find one, you will all know ;) :Cool:
Jay Powers
Posts: 527
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 10:48 pm
Location: Pacifica, California, United States of America - USA

Post by Jay Powers »

For the price ($20-25 $US), the 2000 Royal Tokaji red label 5 puttanyos is a very nice introduction to Tokaji. Pajzos (sp?) is an underestimated (and often low priced) example of Tokaji. Serve a little chilled on a warm afternoon...heaven!

Jay
Post Reply