Balassa Szamorodni was the name. It becomes little as it becomes, or rather as it grows, is the true meaning of the word Szamorodni. But István of course still has full control over the production. It all means that the grapes have not been selected, so some may have been attacked by noble rot and others not. The entire harvest is vinified, and the wine can thus be made both dry and sweet, depending on any proportion of grapes with noble rot.
István’s Szamorodni of the 2019 vintage has a sugar level of 187 grams per liter and at the same time has high acidity. It produces a wine that is both sweet and fresh, which is excellent both with certain cheeses and with sour, sweet desserts. The wine has been fermented and stored in 300-liter barrels of Hungarian oak and the fermentation has taken place with natural yeast. Aging time in barrels is 17 months.
“One of the most important building blocks of the Tokaj wine region’s pathfinding is the sweet zamorodni. Since we are essentially a sweet wine region based on our characteristics, and the guy who is both our best friend and our greatest enemy, thanks to the blessed activity of Botrytis cinerea, we can produce amazingly complex, yet light and fruity sweet wines to make. The ratio of acids and residual sugar, thanks to the brilliant growing areas and varieties, fills the szamorodniks with a vibrant, lively experience. I think it is the most important category from the point of view of the future and the Tokaj wine region, which deserves much more attention in the future.” – István Balassa
Residual Sugar: 187g/L
Alcohol: 9.0%
Vintage: 2019
Ageability: 20+ years
Decanting: Not needed
Serving temperature: 8-10 °C
Producer- Balassa
Small-scale is really the watchword for István Balassa, Hungarian winemaker who, since the beginning of the 21st century, has been producing personal wines with a large portion of origin. From István’s cellar comes both dry white wines from the furmint and hárslevelü grapes and of course also sweet wine, something of Hungary’s specialty from concentrated fruit that has been attacked by noble rot. A fine example of sweet wine comes here, on grapes from as many as six vineyards with different terroirs.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Raisins, tropical fruits, pear blossoms, apricots, pears, dried figs, yellow apples, quince
Palate
Rich, mouth-filling, complex and intense
Food
Cheese, Foie gras, Dessert
| Fruitiness: |  |
Floral |
| Oakiness: |  |
Neutral oak |
| Intensity: | |
Good intensity with freshness |
| Acidity: | |
Vibrant Acidity |
| Tannins: |  |
No tannins |
