Notes from Danch & Granger:

"Today, only 20+ years after the reestablishment of private and family wineries Hungary is in the midst of a wine renaissance. Bodrog Borműhely, or “Bodrog wine(bor) workshop” started by János Hajduz and Krisztián Farkas is emblematic of this new era. By maintaining tiny parcels of vineyards in historically great sites, they are making pure, modern, yet classically inspired dry and off-dry wines. Knowing when to pick and where, avoiding Botrytis, and then fermenting with native yeasts in local oak barrel are the means to this end.

Aszú refers to the dried hand picked botrytis infected grapes. Puttonyos (literally baskets) refers to the ratio of Aszú berries to base wine. These Aszú berries are then mashed into a super sweet thick black paste and macerated in a finished dry wine for a month. The wine was aged in barrels for a couple of years then bottled after fining and filtration. it shows a medium golden color and delicate aromas of dried apricots, figs and tobacco. Its rich sweetness is well balanced by its high acidity and complexity. Enjoy it with foie gras, blue cheese and chocolate."