Red Label, 5 Puttonyos, Tokaj – 2016
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Introduction
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Only 14 vintages of the Royal Tokaji Red Label 5 puttonyos have been produced since its premier release of the 1990 vintage. Since then, the Red Label has been made in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2016. This wine is a blend of carefully selected grapes from several of Royal Tokaji’s first and second growth vineyards.
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Vineyard Profile
- Appellation: Tokaj, Hungary
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Vintage Report
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In 2016 the overall quality is very high with good ripeness and acidity, and volumes in line with long-term averages.
After a mild and dry winter, we had a long spring with warm days and cool nights. The flowering season was unusually long and there was an uneven fruit set in many vineyards due to some late spring frosts.
Throughout the summer, the weather was almost perfect. In July and August, the region was hit by hail, but there was no serious damage and overall we had a successful ripening season. From the middle of August, botrytis started to spread all over the region. We harvested concentrated, intensely flavored grapes and aszú berries. The quality was exceptional in all our vineyards and we were able to produce our full range of aszú 1st and Great 1st Growths for the first time since 2008!
These outstanding aszú berries with good structure and perfect botrytis were macerated in fermenting must for two days. After pressing and finishing fermentation, the wines were transferred into 300 and 500 liter Hungarian Zemplen oak casks in our 13th century underground cellars to mature for over two years. The final blends were carefully crafted in the spring of 2019.
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Muscat and other native grapes.
- Alcohol: 11.5%
- TA: 9.9 g/L
- RS: 158 g/L
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Tasting Notes
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Intense nose with lots of botrytis. Great structure with flavors of lime, citrus and peaches; a fine balance of richness, racy acidity and a long finish.
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Images
Reviews
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Royal Tokaji Red Label, 5 Puttonyos, Tokaj – 2016 – Wine Enthusiast – 96 Points
Gold reflections glimmer in this amber-colored sweet wine that has aromas of apricot, yellow peach and Bartlett pear. The palate shows flavors of acacia honey, canned apricot, and Anjou pear. The finish has enough acidity to stand up to the sweetness.
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Royal Tokaji Red Label, 5 Puttonyos, Tokaj – 2016 – Jancis Robinson – 17+ Points
Bright gold colour. Honeyed apricots and dried peaches with accents of marmalade and exotic spices on the nose. Great concentration of fleshy stone fruits at the core, with glossy honey and sweet vanilla adding to the complexity. Sweet without any sense of stickiness, this is fresh, vibrant and lifted on a long and sumptuous finish. Very, very moreish – the perfect wine to introduce someone to Tokaji
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Royal Tokaji Red Label, 5 Puttonyos, Tokaj – 2016 – Wine & Spirits – 92 Points
This is the 14th vintage of Red Label since the company's founding in 1990. At 158 grams per liter of residual sugar - officially enough to consider this 6 Puttonyos - it's sweet, yet it's also deeply savory, with marzipan, mushroom and ferrous mineral tones packed around the honeyed peach flavor. Acidity keeps it brisk and clean, ready to pair with a cheese plate.
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Royal Tokaji Red Label, 5 Puttonyos, Tokaj – 2016 – Vinous – 90+ Points
The 2016 Blue Label Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, which contains 158g/L residual sugar, has an intense nose of dried honey, toffee apple, gingerbread, pumpkin and a touch of ripe canned peaches; I just would like a little more definition and focus. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced and showing a little more cohesion than the aromatics. I love the finish, which offers tangy Seville orange marmalade, quince and just a pinch of sea salt. I would give this a couple of years for the nose to coalesce.