Adventures in Wine > Hungary

Chateau Pajzos

Winery: Château Pajzos
Region: Hungary
Sub-region: Tokaji

Tokaji Esszencia 1993
99 Pts WS One of the world’s finest dessert wines. Sensational, ultrasweet Tokay, yet with a lovely citrus underpinning that keeps it from being heavy. Like melted honey, with lime and pineapple, this is one of those marvelous gems that makes you swoon in delight. Tempting now into the 21st century. A collector’s item to drink in small portions, by itself, to celebrate life. 500 cases made. –PM

Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 1993
90 Pts WS This honeyed, late-harvest white offers a lush, pillowy texture and rich flavors of dried apricots, toffee and vanilla. It’s very sweet, yet quite fresh and still lively. Delicious now, it should age easily until 2020. –BS

Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 1999
95 Pts WS Racy and focused, showing lemon, orange and vanilla aromas and flavors underscored by a hint of earth and mineral. Light-bodied, with an intensity on the finish that almost makes it seem dry. Terrific finish. Best from 2005 through 2025. –BS

In times past, Hungarian Tokaji wines were highly prized. Long before Sauternes, they graced the tables of European kings and connoisseurs. In the summer of 1991, the late Jean-Michael Arcaute and Jean-Louis Laborde led a group of wine lovers in the acquisition of Chateau Pajzos, long acknowledged as among the finest vineyards of the region. They carried out the first private enterprise harvest and vinification, thus launching the Renaissance of Tokaji. Today, Ch. Pajzos is under the sole ownership and direction of Jean-Louis Laborde, now assisted by his son Ronan in Bordeaux and their winemaking team in Hungary.

The 1993 Aszu 5 Puttonyos was for many years the finest Aszu made since privatization, its vibrant fruit setting a new standard. This stunning dessert wine has developed a very fragrant bouquet, redolent of apricots, caramel, dried fruits, and spice. On the palate, they explode with sensational apricot and honey flavors that seem to last forever. We now have the stunning 1999 Aszu 5 Puttonyos. The dry and sunny harvest kept acidity levels correct, allowing the Pajzos team to produce a beautifully structured, concentrated wine with ripe, botrytis-nuanced flavors and Unusually for sweet wines, the Pajzos Aszu wines also go well with foods such as foie gras and Roquefort cheese, as well chocolate and fruit — especially apple and apricot — tarts and cakes. They are proudly offered in the finest restaurants in the USA and Europe.