What is Furmint?
Furmint (FOOR-mint) is a white varietal grown in Hungary and is the main ingredient of Tokaji Aszú wines. This yellowish-green grape displays a bouquet reminiscent of ripe apples in youth. After aging in wood, Furmint develops aromas of honey and walnuts. Rich in extract, it makes a heady, robust wine with pronounced acid. It is an early-budding, late-ripening variety and is particularly susceptible to botrytis. Often characterized by its high alcohol levels, Furmint’s high acidity gives the wine longevity.

The 2007 vintage provided us with an interesting but difficult season. It started very mild and arid in winter. There was no real frost, and due to various causes, we had to be diligent in our efforts to maintain healthy vineyards.

Spring continued to be dry and warm until the end of May, when we had plenty of rain. Similar to the three previous years, flowering took place slowly in June amid cold, wet conditions. However summer followed hot and dry with hardly any rain in August.

Véraison was early, and subsequently an early harvest was expected, but because September was quite rainy, the sugar levels hardly increased in the first three weeks.

Autumn was rainy and cold, with windy periods that would allow the berries to dry and sugar levels to rise.

The aszú berries that were harvested early were of acceptable quality, but berries harvested later were of extremely high quality because the alternating days of rain and dry wind resulting in desirable botrytis. Ultimately, this vintage was very good for dry and late-harvest wines, but careful assessment of the grapes during harvest was more important than ever.

The 2007 Furmint offers a lovely lemon hue with spicy oak, lemon and crisp apple aromas. It is dry with a refreshing acidity.