László Mészáros makes this late harvest wine from mainly botrytised Furmint grapes (along with 6% Zéta and 6% Hárslevelű), which have shrivelled to around half of their original volume. Termed Késói Szüretelésú in Hungarian, there is no berry-by-berry selection here as there is for Aszú wines. Instead, selected bunches of botrytised clusters and part-clusters were harvested and then macerated for a short period before being pressed. The wine was racked into used French oak (including barrels from Disznókő's sister property, Château Suduiraut in Sauternes), where it matured for six months.
The short aging has kept Furmint's pungent and fruity aromas and flavours intact and guarded its energy and freshness. On the palate, there is a fine balance of candied fruit, honeycomb sweetness and acacia. This wine finished with a residual sugar level of around 130 g/L, which is well-balanced by punchy acidity and gentle grip, leaving us with a vibrant and modern expression of Tokaji.
The balance and freshness mean that you don't necessarily have to serve this with dessert. In fact, in Hungary, this kind of wine is often consumed as an aperitif or with goat’s cheese or pâté on toast.