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The entire range of wines from the '09 vintage underwent a steady and slow fermentation in contrast to the aggressive and rapid fermentation seen in the previous vintage . The resulting wines display high levels of ripe phenolic content and correspondingly high levels of dry extract. Aromatics are deep, highlighted by the classical Tokaji aroma of fresh citrus blossoms. Texturally denser than all prior vintages since 2003, the 2009 vintage wines show a tactile suppleness that accentuates purity in the fruit flavors. At lower levels than the '08 vintage, the acids are round and finely delineated, marked with a firmness from the malic acid component. Overall, the wines drink bigger than their 2008 counterparts. Wines from this vintage will need some time to shed their youthful nervous energy. We expect the wines to emerge over time and be recognized for both their elegance and power. Wines from the 2009 vintage:
The 2008 vintage wines exhibit immense roundness and tension between sugar levels and acid structure. A cool growing season brought along pronounced acidity in the wines, while the dry, warm ripening phase resulted in wines with higher sugar levels and ripe tannins. Fine bouquets of unique nut and fruit aromas should help make this vintage quite memorable when compared to previous vintages. The vintage feels like a combination of the fruit-dominated 2003 vintage and the grandiose 2007 vintage. The wines possess an immaculate balance between fruit and smoky minerality, particularly in our Lapis Furmint and Cuvée Ilona. Our dry wines were harvested in early October over a series of ten days ahead of the arrival of the quick onset of botrytis. In Percze, the berries expressed the smoky and salty minerality of the terroir to shape our '08 Sec wine, while Becsek once again showed that it possesses the ideal terroir for crafting our Demi-Sec. A variability in Aszú quality was seen throughout the Tokaj region, However, the winery was fortunate to experience full development of Aszú berries across our estate vineyards. Starting on October 30th, a brief Indian summer appeared in the region with temperatures reaching 25°C. These ideal conditions allowed our team to harvest plump, juicy Aszú berries sourced from Danczka and Becsek during the first two weeks of November for the domain Aszú. The discovery of Aszú berries containing 600 g/l of sugar and over 12 g/l of acidity at harvest from our Lapis vineyard allowed us to produce our signature Lapis Aszú dessert wine.
Wines from the 2008 vintage:
The 2007 vintage will be remembered not only as one of the earliest harvests in the modern history of Tokaj, but also as one of the more rewarding vintages for sweet wines and particularly dry wines. Rapid early-season vine development culminated with an advanced harvest that began a month ahead of schedule in the middle of September. Throughout the harvest, Tokaji producers were blessed with an abundance of berries sitting on the vines at optimum ripeness levels. An extended four-month summer with temperatures reaching 40°C finally ended in September. Cooler weather and moderate rainfall with periodic sunny days led to the rapid onset of ripe botrytis, particularly in the southern parts of the region. By the end of October, our team had brought in some of the highest quality Aszú berries the company has ever seen which included a small quantity of concentrated Muskotály berries handpicked in Danczka. Inside the cellar, rapid aggressive
fermentation in the barrel caused slightly higher alcohol levels
across the board. Overall, the wines of 2007 possess a bigger body
along with a bigger structure than previous recent vintages. They
walk a clean and straight line carrying a distinct pronounced expression
of the terroir in their gait.
The climatic conditions in the 2006 growing season resulted in high acidity and sugar levels in the wines of the vintage. The lack of rain and cool weather throughout the summer slowed overall development but proved to not be a cause for concern thanks to a wonderful Indian summer that arrived in early November to extend overripening. In a vintage known to be limited due to a sudden frost at the end of October that caused widespread damage throughout the region, our timing was fortunate and we were able to produce a full range of wines including two late season surprises from our Lapis vineyard. Our Patrícia from this vintage continues to show the immense value in our early-developed botrytized Muskotály berries in our Danczka field. During the last days in October before the frost, we picked beautiful-looking ripe berries for our dry wines from Becsek and Percze, two fields that have begun to show consistent quality across vintages. In addition, the quality of Henye is on par with that from the '03 vintage while the notably fragile-looking berries from our Nyulászó field turned into an integral wine component of our Sec blend. Late in the season on Lapis'
highest terrace, we harvested a mix of healthy ripe berries and
well-shrivelled dehydrated berries without the effects of botrytis
to release the company's first Family Estate Selection. A second
surprise occurred when a limited selection of shriveled Hárslevelû
berries also without botrytis was discovered directly below our
highest terrace on the 1st of December, the last day of the '06
harvest.
Following a cold winter that resulted in delayed budding and flowering, the majority of the growing season in 2005 was wet and cold. Rainfall totals reached almost 900 mm, approximately 200 mm higher than the average for Tokaj, which resulted in a slower development of the fruit across the region. Fortunately, a hot prolonged Indian summer arrived in September and October to help spur the full ripening of the berries and save the vintage. However, snow and ice immediately followed, limiting the sweet wine production in the vintage. The late ripening of the berries prompted the company to harvest the fields earlier than usual which ensured the safety of the fruit. For the first time, we discovered healthy, expressive fruit in both our Percze and Becsek fields. This discovery allowed us to craft a wonderful Sec blend and a single-vineyard Demi-Sec from Becsek; two wines that require full ripening but no botrytis. Despite
these extreme conditions, we also managed to produce two sweet wines of superb
quality. With early botrytis development in the company's Muscat fields within
Danczka, we harvested a small selection of 100% Muskotály berries to produce our
Patrícia, a charming noble late harvest wine. In addition, we also were able to
late harvest high-quality Aszú berries from our beloved Lapis vineyard to make
a limited production of the company's Aszú wine.
After a mild winter, the first half of the '04 growing season showed a great deal of promise. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate as a warm dry summer quickly turned into a wet and cold autumn hindering botrytis development across the region. With no signs of an Indian summer anywhere on the calendar, the grapes quickly became too diluted for a high quality Sec and the majority of Aszú berries became affected by widespread mold. Due to our field locations in Tokaj, we were fortunate to late harvest a limited selection of healthy Aszú berries to produce an Aszú wine. However, in keeping with the company's standards of quality, the decision was made to forego the vintage and sell off the majority of wine in bulk.
Early budding of the vines followed by extreme heat throughout the summer brought an advanced start to the '03 harvest. The arrival of much needed rain in October helped allow botrytis to develop on the fully ripened berries that survived the summer heat. In this short excellent season, we waited late into the harvest and squeezed out every last day to get as much healthy Aszú berries as possible. In
the '03 vintage, ripeness levels approached the high levels seen in the '00 vintage
while overall acidity was higher than the acidity in the '02 vintage. The Muskotály
berries in Danczka saw less ripening than in previous vintages which resulted
in Furmint and Hárslevelû-dominated sweet wines. The wines are showing lively acids,
a medium body and complex aromas of dried fruit. Most notably, after a few years
of hibernation, our Henye vineyard has awakened and delivered healthy fruit to
be used as the base wine for our Aszú and for an expressive single-vineyard Furmint.
In 2002, Tokaj experienced a warm and dry spring that produced early flowering by the end of May. A dry summer ensued, but gave way to average rain beginning in mid-August. By September, the berries were ripened and the acids and sugar content of the berries were already high as botrytis began to affect the berry skins. However, the weather became more volatile in October with high humidity and misty mornings. Fortunately, with periodic sunny dry periods this late in the season, the Aszú berries were able to fully develop which resulted in a successful late harvest. The berries that developed across our fields, particularly within Danczka, Becsek and Lapis, were extremely ripe and highly concentrated. The
quality of the '02 vintage has turned out to be surprisingly good for the winery
in what most consider a high-quality but limited Tokaj harvest. In 2002 we concentrated
on the sweet wines and chose to forego the production of dry or semi-dry wines.
The wines appear to be rounder and creamier than past vintages. In addition, the
conditions of the vintage allowed the company to produce a special bottling of
a Muscat-based Aszú.
The '01 season saw normal conditions at its start
as Királyudvar initially saw good results throughout its vineyards.
However, a difficult growing season resulted in a limited vintage.
A cooler than average summer with constant rain hampered the development
of the berries. In early autumn, botrytis began to quickly proliferate,
but the arrival of unusually cold weather and rain in September
for a second time in the season quickly halted development in its
tracks. Thanks to a period of dry warmer weather in October and
the early maturation of Furmint (40%) and Muskotály (60%) berries
in Danczka, a limited quantity of healthy fruit was carefully selected
and ultimately used for the company's noble late harvest Ilona bottling.
2000
brought an unusually long growing period with an enormous heat summation over
the season. A warm, dry season that experienced fast ripening resulted in a high
yield of berries containing elevated sugar levels and fruit concentration. The
quality level of the '00 wines are comparable to the '99 vintage while overall
acidity is more subdued than the previous vintage.
A
long warm growing season with periodic rains to nourish the vines created ideal
conditions throughout 1999 leading to an outstanding vintage. In September, the
weather cooperated as botrytis development ramped up allowing a large volume of
Aszú berries to be picked. In making the decision to wait until late into the
harvest season to pick, we were able to collect plentiful quantities of outstanding
Aszú berries. Cooperation from the weather throughout the season allowed the fruit
from our main vineyards (Lapis, Becsek and Henye) to be wonderfully expressed
in the wines. Exceptional Aszú berries from Lapis prompted us to produce our first
single-vineyard Aszú offering from this vineyard.
1998
brought a wet growing season where persistent autumn rains hampered botrytis development
and reduced overall yields. Thanks to a well-timed late harvest, high-quality
Aszú berries were selected from our Henye vineyard to produce the company's first
Aszú release. 
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