Essencia is the world’s most concentrated essence of its ripest grapes. Royal Tokaji has offered a few bottles of Essencia only six times in its twenty-six-year history.

Essencia is the fermented liquid gold that very slowly oozes from bins of individually hand-picked grapes raisined by botrytis. One skilled picker may harvest 5kgs of these grapes in one day. The juice slowly accumulates in the bottom of the vat by the gentle pressure of the grapes’ own weight and pours like rich honey. It is essentially the essence of the grape, and yeast has a near-hopeless task. From this rare liquid, the cellar master will select the very best to be bottled.

The best description for the weather in 2009 is “extreme” and described as a vintage with two faces. Budding started perfectly with lovely sunny days and high temperatures, but we endured a serious drought by the middle of May. By mid- October the rain started and our brief window for picking closed, effectively ending a small but exceptional harvest.

After a further 5 years of aging in our cellars, this Essencia has a deep gold color with hints of amber and a very thick texture. Complex fruitiness on the nose with hints of green tea and lots of figs and dates.

Rich and complex in the mouth with a creamy structure.Tastes of candied orange peel with dried red berries.An almost eternal finish with very good acidity.