Tokaji Eszencia, Oremus 2011 37.5cl
Eszencia is the rarest and most extreme wine in the world of Tokaj, and one of the most extraordinary sweet wines made anywhere. This is the free-run juice that weeps from Aszú berries under their own weight alone, so sugar-rich it can take years to ferment and barely reaches a few degrees of alcohol. To taste it is to taste a legend.
Oremus, the Tokaj estate of the Vega Sicilia family, made this 2011 from a blend led by Zéta and Furmint, with Sárgamuskotály and the rare Kövérszőlő adding aromatic lift. Historically Eszencia was reserved for royalty and said to revive the dying; the reality is almost as astonishing. Production is tiny, the fermentation glacial, and the result unlike anything else in the cellar.
In the glass it is a syrupy amber. The aromas are overwhelming in the best sense: dried apricot, fig, orange marmalade, honey, quince and exotic spice. The palate is impossibly concentrated and unctuous, coating the mouth, yet the whole thing is held aloft by a laser of acidity that stops it ever feeling heavy. The finish goes on for minutes. This is nectar, not wine as most people know it.
At around £410 for a 37.5cl bottle, this is a collector's wine and a once-in-a-lifetime pour. Serve tiny measures, ice cold. It rewards the reverence.
How to Serve
Serve well chilled at 8–10°C in a small glass, poured in modest measures with a spoon if needed. It keeps for months once opened.
Where to Drink It
Otto's on Gray's Inn Road treats rarities with ceremony. Noble Rot Lamb's Conduit Street would honour it. The Ritz Restaurant suits the occasion.
Food Pairings
Best enjoyed entirely on its own as the finale. If pushed, a spoonful alongside aged Roquefort.
