SAUSKA | Furmint | Tokaj | 2019
furmint

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Today we are going to review a wine that we were eager to try for quite some time – a dry, single-varietal furmint wine from the world’s famous Tokaj region of Hungary – Furmint Tokaj 2019 by Sauska. Furmint is the same grape variety from which the world’s famous hungarian Tokaji Aszú dessert wines are made of. Furmint grapes are high in natural acidity yet they succumb very well to noble rot, thus making it an ideal material for producing world’s renowned sweet wines with enough natural acidity to support its huge ageing potential. Lately it has caught the trend to be made into assertive dry wine, very similar in style to Riesling. This particular wine is a blend of furmint grapes sourced from estate’s best vineyards: Birsalmás, Holdvölgy, Padihegy. The wine was also aged on fine lees in stainless steel tanks for 2 months in order to get a bit more complexity and a rounder body. That said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: pale yellow color
clarity: clear pastel-yellow hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & citrusy
fruit profile: green fruits | citrus fruits
__green fruits: gooseberry | green pear | quince | wild pear
__citrus fruits: passion fruit | lemon | green grapefruit | pomelo | lemon peel | bergamot
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | herbal | other
__floral: daffodil | marguerite daisy | orange blossom
__herbal: hay | meadow | camomile | lemongrass
__other: limestone | chalk | subtle hints of penicillin
primary layer: fruit

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium+
tannin: low
__grip: green
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: lean & supple | medium-

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits & citrus fruits
fruit character: ripe & underripe
non fruit: floral & herbaceous
finish: medium
aftertaste: crisp

//Scoring
SAUSKA | Furmint | Tokaj | 2019
variety: furmint
country: Hungary
region: Tokaj
rating: 91.8

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or in the next 2 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Hungary and with a total of 91.8 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a very fine furmint wine that is still developing – thus it can be enjoyed today or within the next 2 years. It feels crisp, fresh and zesty, with a nicely structured palate and a pronounced fruity-citrusy profile. On the palate the wine delivers exuberant acidity and a touch of alcoholic warmth showing through on the mouthfeel, which makes it taste supple and lean. On the nose the wine delivers green fruits and citrus in the foreground, followed by a very appealing floral-herbaceous aromatic layer in the background. All in all, this is a very fresh and appealing furmint wine with an excellent structure and a touch of phenolic bitterness on the mouthfeel, which makes it taste crisp and well balanced. Enjoy!

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