Zoltán Demeter is part of the first generation to craft Tokaj wines producers in Hungary’s post-Communist era, after decades of agriculture that emphasized quantity over quality. Although he originally founded his winery in 1996, Zoltán continued to consult for others before deciding to focus solely on his own wines in 2008.
He farms nine single vineyards, some 7 hectares in Tokaj, all of them classified as “first growths” and all planted to vines averaging about 40 years of age. No chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used, and sulphur is only applied when absolutely necessary, by hand. In his micro-winery, the grapes are naturally fermented and aging occurs in a combination of stainless steel and neutral Hungarian oak barrels.
Szamorodni loosely translates to “as it comes off the vine.” Essentially, the Furmint grapes in this wine were picked by the cluster (versus by the berry) with high levels of ripeness and botrytis. The minimum natural residual sugar level for Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos is 150 grams per litre, and Demeter’s Szamorodni comes in at a whopping 238 g/l. But don’t think this will be cloying – with nine grams of total acidity, the cleansing freshness slices through each rich layer of apricot, quince, and peach marmalade. With just 80 cases produced, this is mesmerizing, ultra-rare stuff.
