2019 Samuel Tinon Furmint 'Birtok'

Tokaj, Hungary

100% Furmint from Tokaj fermented dry. In the village of Olaszliska just north of the village of Tokaj near the banks of the famous Bodrog River, Samuel farms roughly 5 hectares of vines some as old as 90 years. No herbicides or pesticides are used and no tractor usage. Everything is done by hand. “Birtok” roughly translates to “domain” and allows various vineyards to be blended together. For Samuel Tinon, this means pulling from the famed Határi vineyard near the village of Olaszliszka and off of the dense loess slopes of Mt. Tokaj above the village of Tokaj. Blending these two sites yields an intensely unique Furmint. The fruit is ripe, the acids are high and there’s plenty of structure to create a pungent balance. It’s like taking the weight and creamy texture of Chenin Blanc and the acidic edge and stony fruit of Riesling and mashing them together with smoke and salt. White wine like this can only come from Tokaj. As arguably the first classified vineyard appellation system in the world, there is over 500 years of trial and error at work in the region.