Above 7 half-liters bottles per lot
Details
A FABULOUS RANGE OF RARE TOKAJI
Tokaj is undoubtedly the greatest classic wine region in Eastern Europe and equally undoubtedly the least well-known of all the great wines of the world. There is a good - and a less good reason - for this. First of all it has always been a remote area, situated as it is on the east side of Hungary only a short distance from the Russian border. Historically the best vineyards were owned by members of the Hungarian nobility who kept their finest wines for themselves and their East European peers. Tokaji Essence was rarely exported and then only to the Royal Courts of Russia and Poland. It was hardly ever shipped to England although records of the wine being sold at Christie's date back to 1770. After the first world war and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire only small quantities were made. Through the enterprise of Berry Bros. & Rudd, stocks of very old Essence were unearthed and shipped to London but mainly sold for medicinal and restorative purposes.
The first comprehensive post-war tasting of Hungarian wines was held at Christie's in 1970, and the first major auction of Tokaji, also at Christie's in 1985
Tokaji
Tokai-Hegyalja (the Tokay hills) is a region in the north-east of Hungary, bordering Slovakia and the Ukraine. Thought dry white wine is made, the climate, abetted by the confluence of two rivers, the Bodrog and the Tisza, is conducive to the formation of botrytis on the late-ripening grapes and the production of the famous sweet Aszús, which are some of my favorite wines.
17th century to 1945
It is safe to say that Tokaji Aszú is the first (since the sweetened and doctored wines of the ancient world) of the great sweet wines, well established as such by the mid-17th century. The beneficial effects of botrytis were noted here almost a century before they were accidentally discovered in Germany. Moreover, the vineyards were the first ever to be classified: in 1700 Prince Rákóczi of Transylvania introduced 1st, 2nd and 3rd class (or growth) quality ratings. Tokaji was the most highly regarded and sought after wine, particularly by Russian and Polish royalty and nobility. The vineyards, mostly owned byt the Hungarian aristocracy, were the country's most valuable assets. (Catherine the Great can claim to be one of the first foreign investors; she owned, and protected with her own guards, a major vineyard.) archives reveal that Tokaji appeared in a catalogue dated 1770, only four years after James Christie set up his acution business). Another appreciative connoisseur was Thomas Jefferson who imported and served 'rich Tokay'('for which I paid a guinea a bottle') at his presidential banquets in the early 1800s. The aftermath of World War One was disastrous for the Hungarian landowners and trade. In 1925 a remarkable cache of old wines was literally unearthed and purchased by Berry Bros. Their 1927 price list includes early 19th-century vintages'from the Princely House of Bretzenheim which became extinct in 1863'. It seems that the family, concerned that the revolutionary forces of 1848 would seize their property, walled up their valuable old wines. Historically the wine and region were called Tokay by the English but the wine is now correctly referred to as Tokaji and the region as Tokaj.
MB, Vintage Wine
Recently shipped from the region of production for sale at Christie's
Tokaji Eszencia
--Vintage 18451 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 18461 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 18521 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 18661 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 19681 half-liter (1)
Tokaji Aszu Esszencia
--Vintage 19001 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 19011 half-liter (1)
All above high levels and original cellar mold (Clodosporium Cellare)
Above 7 half-liters bottles per lot
Tokaj is undoubtedly the greatest classic wine region in Eastern Europe and equally undoubtedly the least well-known of all the great wines of the world. There is a good - and a less good reason - for this. First of all it has always been a remote area, situated as it is on the east side of Hungary only a short distance from the Russian border. Historically the best vineyards were owned by members of the Hungarian nobility who kept their finest wines for themselves and their East European peers. Tokaji Essence was rarely exported and then only to the Royal Courts of Russia and Poland. It was hardly ever shipped to England although records of the wine being sold at Christie's date back to 1770. After the first world war and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire only small quantities were made. Through the enterprise of Berry Bros. & Rudd, stocks of very old Essence were unearthed and shipped to London but mainly sold for medicinal and restorative purposes.
The first comprehensive post-war tasting of Hungarian wines was held at Christie's in 1970, and the first major auction of Tokaji, also at Christie's in 1985
Tokaji
Tokai-Hegyalja (the Tokay hills) is a region in the north-east of Hungary, bordering Slovakia and the Ukraine. Thought dry white wine is made, the climate, abetted by the confluence of two rivers, the Bodrog and the Tisza, is conducive to the formation of botrytis on the late-ripening grapes and the production of the famous sweet Aszús, which are some of my favorite wines.
17th century to 1945
It is safe to say that Tokaji Aszú is the first (since the sweetened and doctored wines of the ancient world) of the great sweet wines, well established as such by the mid-17th century. The beneficial effects of botrytis were noted here almost a century before they were accidentally discovered in Germany. Moreover, the vineyards were the first ever to be classified: in 1700 Prince Rákóczi of Transylvania introduced 1st, 2nd and 3rd class (or growth) quality ratings. Tokaji was the most highly regarded and sought after wine, particularly by Russian and Polish royalty and nobility. The vineyards, mostly owned byt the Hungarian aristocracy, were the country's most valuable assets. (Catherine the Great can claim to be one of the first foreign investors; she owned, and protected with her own guards, a major vineyard.) archives reveal that Tokaji appeared in a catalogue dated 1770, only four years after James Christie set up his acution business). Another appreciative connoisseur was Thomas Jefferson who imported and served 'rich Tokay'('for which I paid a guinea a bottle') at his presidential banquets in the early 1800s. The aftermath of World War One was disastrous for the Hungarian landowners and trade. In 1925 a remarkable cache of old wines was literally unearthed and purchased by Berry Bros. Their 1927 price list includes early 19th-century vintages'from the Princely House of Bretzenheim which became extinct in 1863'. It seems that the family, concerned that the revolutionary forces of 1848 would seize their property, walled up their valuable old wines. Historically the wine and region were called Tokay by the English but the wine is now correctly referred to as Tokaji and the region as Tokaj.
MB, Vintage Wine
Recently shipped from the region of production for sale at Christie's
Tokaji Eszencia
--Vintage 18451 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 18461 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 18521 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 18661 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 19681 half-liter (1)
Tokaji Aszu Esszencia
--Vintage 19001 half-liter (1)
--Vintage 19011 half-liter (1)
All above high levels and original cellar mold (Clodosporium Cellare)
Above 7 half-liters bottles per lot