Who makes it
Hugh Johnson and a small investor group founded Royal Tokaji in 1990 after the fall of Communism. Its Mád winery, designed by Csaba Bodonyi, opened in 2010.
Where it grows
Szt. Tamás, Nyulászó and Betsek in Mád are classified as First Growth vineyards; Birsalmás is a Second Growth. Mézes Mály in Tarcal is classified as a Great First Growth. The soils are mainly clay or loess over volcanic substrata.
What they make
Dry Furmint combines estate and purchased fruit, with floral, apple and pear aromas and apricot and peach flavours. The 2023 Late Harvest blends Furmint, Hárslevelű and Sárgamuskotály, using ripe, overripe and botrytised berries. Most of it ages in barrel for five to six months; it has white-peach and honey notes, silky texture and balancing acidity.
Szt. Tamás Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2018 comes from a single vineyard. The berries spent two days in fermenting must before pressing, followed by more than two years in Hungarian oak underground. It has apricot, marmalade, pear and peach notes with a long finish.