Château Dereszla Aszú Eszencia 2008

Château Dereszla works in Tokaj-Hegyalja, the Hungarian region that built its name on sweet wine made with the help of noble rot. This Aszú Eszencia blends Furmint and Hárslevelü from seventy-year-old vines, hand-picked berry by berry to select only the grapes shrunk by Botrytis cinerea, the fungus that pierces the skin and lets water evaporate so sugar, acid and flavour concentrate to extreme levels. The free-run juice that seeps from these aszú berries under their own weight is the most concentrated of all, and it ferments very slowly in glass before the wine ages three years in Hungarian oak, where slow oxidation develops the marmalade and dried-fruit tones, then refines a further two years in bottle. The volcanic soils and the autumn mists that rise off the Tisza and Bodrog rivers are what make the rot reliable here. The colour is deep amber. The nose is peach, apricot, orange and honey, with dried apricot and citrus peel from the ageing. The palate is dense, almost a nectar, yet a vivid line of acidity cuts through and keeps it fresh and balanced. Serve chilled, around 10 to 12 degrees, in a small glass.