“One sip explains the legend. ” Steven Spurrier, VinExpo 2003

The remarkable 1993 vintage in Tokaj provided the right conditions for Royal Tokaji to produce the legendary Essencia for the first time. Bottled in 2002, it is now ready for release.

Essencia is the liquid that very slowly oozes from a pile of grapes raisined by botrytis. It accumulates in the bottom of the vat (though there will never be enough to fill the vat) by the gentle pressure of the grapes’ own weight and pours like rich nectar honey. It is essentially the essence of the grape.

Aszú wines, in contrast, are made by pulping the raisins and adding them to dry wine (or must) to attain a concentration at which yeast cells can go to work. In the free-run essence (that will become Essencia), yeast has a near hopeless task. It has taken nine years in Royal Tokaji’s ancient underground cellars for the extraordinary 1993 Essencia to reach less than 3 percent alcohol.

Rich, bright amber in color with an intense aroma of apricots, quinces, marmalade and butterscotch on the palate, woven with an astonishing tapestry of flavors on the tongue, leaving the mouth perfumed with exotic fruits and flavors the following morning. Hugh Johnson, Winemaker