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76 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 MÁD 2015 Dry Furmint, Mád, Tokaj, Hungary Dry Furmint has quickly assumed the title of a fashionable new wine in just a few short years. István Szepsy, Owner of Szepsy Winery, believed the grape's profile was well-suited for a crisp, dry style when he began experimenting with the wine in 2000. Since the grape is susceptible to Botrytis cinerea, the first step in ensuring a successful production process was to isolate clones resistant to the fungus. István Szepsy Jr., Szepsy's son, represents the 18th generation of his family's winemaking history as he leads the winemaking team for MAD Wine and Szent Tamás Winery. That team is directly responsible for releasing one of the first dry Furmints to the international market. "There are very few wines that remind me of it," James said of Furmint during the seminar. "Albariño comes to mind, but not really, so it's a very unique palate profile." The low-alco - hol, high-acid wine has broad palate appeal, especially for those who enjoy racy white wines with dense minerality like Chablis and Riesling. The effort to push forth innovations like dry Furmint is transforming the country's wine - making traditions and increasing Tokaj's presence in the market as it continues to modernize in the post-communist era. Tasting Notes Petrol, chalk, and green apple aromas are echoed on the palate with great length and minerality. —Michelle Ball Patricius 2006 Aszú 6 Puttonyos, Tokaj, Hungary "The uniqueness of the aszú wine is the aszú berry itself," Molnár said as he offered a bowl of berries harvested a week before the seminar for us to sample. "We pick these berries one by one, and the fungus forms with the help of the local microcli- mate." Morning fog paired with ample sunlight during the grow- ing season aid the fungus that grows on the Furmint grapes. Since the grapes must be harvested individually, producing the wine is an extremely labor-intensive process. Each skilled worker at Patricius can harvest an average of 10–15 kilograms per day, and 95 percent of them are women: As Molnár puts it, men "don't have enough patience or the skills to pick them one by one. [Women] can do it much better." Once the berries are picked, they hold their freshness for roughly 45 days while the base wine is made. The team at Patricius feels the optimal time for extraction and aromatics is made during early stages of fermentation. The aszú berries are added to the base wine when the alcohol content is around 6–8 percent during primary fermen - tation; once the pressing and fermentation is completed, the wine is aged in local Hungarian oak with gentle toasting to accentu- ate the flavor of the aszú berry itself without masking it. Aging is dependent on the vintage: The 2006 was released to the market in 2016 after three years of barrel aging and seven years of aging in-bottle. Tasting Notes Yellow peach, buttery pie crust, white mulberries, and avocado aromas. Crisp acidity balances the ripe stone fruit and honey character and causes the profile to really pop. Extreme length and silkiness. —M.B. Tokaj's geology offers idyllic conditions for its racy, late-ripening varieties. "Every hillside is different," attested Molnár, adding that single- vineyard winemaking is the focus in the region. Tokaj also contains more than 400 ancient volcanoes, which emerged 14–16 million years ago from the sea; as the water receded, the sediment left behind created a dynamic mix of soil types that gen - erally encourage acid retention in grapes. Roughly 60 percent of the area is planted to Furmint, an indig - enous, late-ripening variety—and the source for the revered Aszú wines—that takes particularly well to volcanic soils. "This is the best grape to express the differences in the terroirs," Molnár said. Wines of Excellence Project Director Eniko" Magyar, SOMM Journal Publisher/Editorial Director Meridith May, and Vinum Tokaj International President Attila Balla helped oversee the Hungarian section of the seminar. { sommcon } Aszú berries affected by noble rot were shared with seminar attendees.