1993 Disznoko - Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Tasted at the Disznóko vertical in London, the 1993 Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos is a blend of 60% Furmint, 10% Zéta and 30% Hárslevelu, the first vintage where the estate had some control over production, though much of the grapes were purchased unlike nowadays. I last tasted this debut in 2013, though this bottle was not quite at the same level. It has a deep cherry wood appearance in the glass. The nose is pleasant with cola, mint and earl grey and wild mushroom infusing the honeyed fruit, a little fatigued since I last tasted it but still pleasant. The palate is perhaps more interesting than pleasurable, though that is overshadowed by the significance of this maiden vintage in post-communist Hungary and what it portended. The fruit has dried out a little and there is now some bitterness towards the marmalade and quince-led finish, an almost latté character on the aftertaste. I suspect that there might be some bottle variation given the circumstances in which this wine was made. Tasted September 2016.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Aszú grapes 60% Furmint, 30% Hárslevel ű, 10% Zéta, macerated in base wine and must of Furmint and Hárslevel ű. This was the emblematic vintage of the renaissance of Tokaj. A long, dry and hot summer, then rain at the right time to spread botrytis and a long warm autumn to shrivel the berries. RS 155 g/l, TA 10.5 g/l. Dark tawny. Rich, coconutty. Thick and sweet. Big and beefy. Just a little crude and certainly chewy. Not complex but the start of the new era. Less concentration and focus than modern vintages. Slight sledgehammer. (JR)
The 1993 Tokaji Aszu 6-Puttonyos is a blend of 60% Furmint, 30% Harslevelu and 10% Zeta, the aszu added to the fermenting must and macerated for 60 hours before aging for three years in barrel. It has a deep amber color with a green tinge on the rim. The bouquet is very powerful, with marmalade, dried apricot, allspice, touches of wild mushroom and caramelized pear. The palate is medium-bodied with a viscous opening. Well-balanced with very fine acidity, it remains youthful and very harmonious with a complex finish offering notes of marmalade, dried quince and a touch of truffle. Divine. Drink now-2035+. Disznoko became part of French insurance giant AXA Millesime’s portfolio in 1992, though the name existed prior to Soviet occupation, not as a winery estate but as the site of a First Growth as recorded in 1732 (think of it being similar to a French lieu-dit.) Director Lazlo Meszaros has been at the helm here since 1995, Seely providing what you might describe as a “guiding hand” and advice during the harvest and blending. The three-tiered winery located just outside the town of Mad is relatively large in scale for the region, perhaps seen as a statement of intent when AXA-Millesimes branched out into Tokaj. Its aging cellar is carved out of the rock below the winery some 10 metres below the ground, accommodating their French and Hungarian 225-liter oak barrels, of which approximately one-third are new. They cultivate 105 hectares of vine in a single L-shaped block above the winery. Only estate-grown fruit is used, the vines comprising of 60% Furmint, 30% Harslevelu, 9% Zeta and 1% Yellow Muscat. In terms of their approach, I would refer you to Lazlo’s comments in the introduction to this piece, where he offers interesting perspectives toward botrytis formation and aszu blending. Needless to say, this was a strong set of Tokaji wines. Lazlo made it clear that while they acknowledge the proliferation of dry wines, Disznoko is and always will be focused upon sweet 5- and 6-Puttonyos aszu wines. Importer: Vintus Wines, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000
Dried apricot and candied violet in the nose. Fatter in the mouth, more glyceral than the 5 puttonyos, yet also juicier. Hints of butterscotch and vanilla emerge in the finish.