Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/780573
62 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 with a pH below five. In this case, the soil is all clay minerals; as the roots dig in the clay for water, they cannot absorb it without also absorbing the mineral components. "Furmint is not an aromatic grape," explains Szepsy Jr. "It's the minerals and the differ - ent composition in each cru that make the wines so expressive." The bedrock of the vast majority of Tokaj is rhyolite. The clay minerals include, most importantly, zeolite as well as bentonite and kaolinite. Over 70 percent of the world's zeolite is in Mád, and Szepsy Jr. describes it as "a mineral sponge." Zeolite is absorbent, which keeps the vines from soaking up too much water, and fine, gathering in the nooks and crannies of other rocks. The soil composition naturally controls yields, mak - ing large production difficult as the roots constantly search deeper, taking the energy from the grapes. Elevation plays a major role, most vineyards lying between 150 and 400 meters; above 400 meters the zeolite content diminishes. Innovation and the Circle of Mád As Szepsy Jr. forges the path for dry Furmint, he fully exercises innovation. He has planted a nursery and is experimenting with more than 128 Furmint clones, looking to isolate those resistant to Botrytis cinerea. He also plays with different yeast strains each year and has recently found a strain that can result in higher alcohol if not closely monitored but elevates the aromatics. He has imple - mented low head training in some vine- yards and applies a proprietor's biologic spray in order to prevent Botrytis cinerea as well. As he learns, he shares with other producers in the area. Szepsy Jr. works with 84 growers for the Mád label. "We try to show that agriculture can be respected. We try to encourage the growers to take pride in their farming," he shares. In fact, he rewarded seven growers last year by creating a special bottling, Mád 1, from only their vineyards. Concentrated in Mád, the wine also includes vineyards in the neighboring villages of Tállya, Rátka and Tarcal. The Mád label produces Mád Furmint, its flagship, as well as Hárslevelu˝ and Mád Late Harvest, which is a blend of Furmint, Hárslevelu˝ and Sárgamuskotály. "The Somm Journal is officially declaring 2017 The Year of Furmint— a quality-driven, unique, site-specific and gastronomic beauty of a white wine." Grand Tokaj is still the larg- est producer in the region; here we are underground in their five-kilometer-long Szegi cellar. { cover story }