I have had the privledge of sampling some really good aged white wines. Donhoff Rieslings from the early 1990’s, some early 90’s to late 80’s Vendange Tardive or SGN Alsatian wines, a couple Y’quem’s from the mid 1980’s, some stellar Tokay wines, but I have never…never…had a white wine that old.
You MUST post tasting notes (if the wine isn’t dead…I will say a little tiny prayer for it). This could end up being a chance of a lifetime for you, quite literally. An aged dessert wine (which it HAS to be) is quite special and rare. Good luck, and post what the label says! I’m looking to see what this wine is.
Sorry to disappoint you folks, but I won’t be tasting it myself – not this one. Besides, it’s nothing like an Yquem. It’s just a bottle from what used to be the “special reserve” of an Eastern European nomenklatura. That being said, I did try other wines coming from the same source. One was about 33 years old, Pinot Gris (if I remember correctly), and although remarkably smooth, it felt a little… stale(?) It had a (vague) tinny feel. There was something wrong with it, but I’m not sure whether because it wasn’t a good wine to begin with, or it was dead/dying. The other was some sort of Muscat, “only” 12 years old. That one truly was superb. I’ll make sure to get a (few) bottle(s) for myself when I get the chance, and I’ll gladly tell you about it, except… I don’t know how to write a tasting note. I am, however, eager to educate myself. So… where can I read about that?
Not a disappointment at all. Your description pretty much narrows it down to one type of wine.
A lovely gift indeed if that’s correct. And if it’s an Eszencia, yowza. Nice!
There are all kinds of resources online for learning how to write tasting notes.
Here are just a couple you might find helpful -
And De Long has a few helpful tools. I’ve got their Varietal Table framed and hung near my wine racks, and I’m now 13 varietals away from joining their ‘Wine Century Club’ , which has proved to be much harder to become a member of the closer I get. It’s fun trying though.
I posted a link to their tasting sheets in another thread yesterday. Those sheets are fabulous for beginners as they pretty much put everything down for you and make taking your notes as easy as circling your observations.
Is there anything on the label that says something like “5 Puttonyos” (sp?) or something similar? I’ve had Aszu that’s 4, 5 and 6 Puttonyos, but never Eszencia.
You’re a lucky person if you’re drinking Hungarian Tokay (Tokaji) wine. It’s actually my favorite dessert wine in the world, because it’s every bit as good as wines that are far more expensive (like Y’quem).
Man, if I had a 375ml of that stuff I’d be sipping it up right now, along with some Stilton cheese, dried apricots and some salty nuts.
Again, I’ll have to disappoint you: I don’t think this wine is as fascinating as you think. It is not a Tokaj AOC proper, even though the “estate” may be related in terms of varietals, and possibly the wine making process. I know little about it, except that it used to be a state-run winery, and it’s not a famous one.
P.S.: it’s not a dessert wine, if that’s what you were wondering.
Bummer. Ah well. So, if it’s not a dessert wine, nor a fortified wine, I’d have to venture to guess that it won’t be a pleasurable drink. I’m hard pressed to come up with a normal alcohol level white wine that could possibly age that long and still be drinkable. Alcohol and sugar are the preservatives that allow for extended shelf life, so…I got nothing.
