Tokaji Essencia 1968

Tokaj’s Aszú is known as “wine of kings, king of wines”, and Hungary’s national anthem sings of its nectar. Pauleczki-Vin brings that legend into the present: its oldest Essencia was named Best of Show in Japan and won the Best Dessert Wine trophy presented on stage in Hong Kong, China.

Behind these honours is a family estate in Tolcsva, founded by Antal Pauleczki Sr. after a lifetime devoted to traditional vine growing and winemaking. Almost every member of the family works here today. About 90% of its wine is exported, bringing this Tokaj house to tables around the world.

The estate’s vineyards lie around Tolcsva, Olaszliszka and Sárazsadány, on soils of volcanic origin. Muscat Lunel takes pride of place, with Furmint growing alongside it. That emphasis on an aromatic grape gives Pauleczki-Vin a distinctive identity in a region best known for Furmint.

Autumn sunshine and mists from the Bodrog help a natural fungus called noble rot develop on the grapes. The berries shrivel, becoming the concentrated fruit known as aszú, the beginning of Tokaj’s celebrated sweet wines. That is why the house’s wines can smell of flowers and fresh grapes in one glass, and of honey and dried apricot in the next.

For Aszú, the work begins berry by berry. Grapes touched by noble rot are picked individually and soaked in fermenting grape juice, bringing their concentrated sweetness into the wine. It is a traditional Tokaj method, carried out with close attention in a modern cellar.

The barrels bring another connection to the place: Zemplén oak comes from the hills around the region. Cellar time follows the character of each style, from months for young sweet wines to decades for Essencia. At the tasting table, freshly poured glasses offer a chance to follow that work through the fruit, sweetness and freshness of the wine.

Muscat Lunel Aszú, honeyed and fresh, is the bottle to bring to a fine dinner. It arrives as a gift and is opened with dessert, and the host remembers who brought it. For the festive season, a golden Late Harvest makes a bright present to set beside the chocolates.

For a milestone, choose Essencia. Each bottle wears an embossed copper shield in place of a paper label, and a few drops fill the mouth with honey and dried fruit. Share it at the end of the evening: the rarest taste of the night, with the people who matter most.