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Please visit our friends at www.ambrosiaimports.com for great gift ideas!
From Our Mailbox:
Executive Sommelier of London's Le Bouchon Breton, Donald Edwards:
http://notesfromthedregs.blogspot.com/2010/10/alana.html
"It's a great shame that at present Alana's wines are not available in the UK as I think
they're a Tokaji house of the highest quality ...
... wines of this quality only come about as a result of serious care and attention to detail ...
... the wines are quite stunning."
Caroline Gilby MW
writes the following in Harpers Wine & Spirit,
in her article titled "Hungarian Discoveries", Nov 5 2010, page 18-19:
"(ALANA-TOKAJ's) first release was in 2008
and clearly shows Attila's very gentle natural approach to winemaking.
Slow fremented dry Furmint is intriguing, while sweet Muscat is just delicious and
the first Aszu vintage has lovely balance and ageing potential."
"Of course, Tokaj has long been world famous, especially for its luscious Aszu wines,
but here, too, there are new trends -
in the more accessible late harvest wines, and more recently
in the thrilling discovery that Tokaj is great terroir for
expressive mineral dry whites from Furmint and also Harslevelu."
OUR RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS
Please remember to stop by Stein Ericksen's Glitretind in Deer Valley
and ask for a glass of our late harvest furmint from Cara Schwindt,
Master Sommelier for the Beijing Olympics.
Paired with the cocoa kumquat foie gras appetizer, the match is stunning.
When in Salt Lake City, please ask head sommelier Louis Koppel at Spencer's
Steakhouse at the Hilton to make your meal even more memorable
with a glass of our wine!
We are delighted that chef Jean-Michel Diot is now offering our "Autumn in Tokaj"
at our favorite La Jolla restaurant, Tapenade, with several fabulous desserts!
Next time you are at Del Mar's Addison, please ask Wine Director
Jesse Rodriguez about matching our wine with their great cuisine.
In San Francisco's Fleur de Lys, Sommelier Marcus Garcia
will happily help you find the best way to savour our dry furmint!
Do not miss Flavor Del Mar, our newest ambassadors.
The food that Jerome Astolfi offers
with our wines is beyond insane!
A bottle of “Autumn”, served with the gorgeous tasting menu
offered by Viet Pham and Bowman Brown at Forage
(yes, two of the top 10 new chefs in the US by Food and Wine Magazine!)
will knock your socks off. It sure did ours!
It is our pleasure to welcome the premier restaurant of Memphis,
Erling Jensen's, as our newest table for matching our dry and sweet wines
with exceptional dining.
NEWEST RELEASE
Our '06 Aszúeszencia could be in your glass right now!
It received "Trophy for Best Sweet White Wine" at Asia's largest wine competition,
the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2011,
and it has received 94 points from Wine Spectator.
Furmint, hárslevelu,
muscat and zéta aszú berries, base wine without
furmint. Soaked in fermenting juice.
Spent 34 months in new oak barrels. Alc. 8% v/v, residual sugar 306 gr./L, acidity 11,5 gr./L
"Stunning nose with equally stunning intensity, way beyond the ordinary,
with elegant perfume and flower notes, fleshy and fresh.
Similar aromatics on the palate.
The sweetness – matched well by acidity – is just unbelievable;
I have never tasted a wine with this much personality.
In the end, the acidity has to catch up a little bit, yet
the finish has a creaminess that is out of this world.
A completely new paradigm among aszú wines,
it will surely stir up the world.
Truly extravagant."
94-96 points
(the highest score at the official Tokaji Premier tasting, review by Gábor Botond Bányai)
Our Wine Spectator Top 100 wine,
the 2005 6 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú,
had a beautiful write-up by Anders Öhman, AIWS, Sommelier,
from the Gustibus Wine & Spirit Academy in Sweden,
after tasting through the entire lineup of Tokaji at Vinoble in Jerez, Spain:
"All of the wines represented the fruity, fresh and elegant, sweet, modern style.
The quality reminded me of how easy it is to forget what an absolutely superb wine Tokaji is.
The saying "The Wine of Kings and King of Wines" is not an overstatement by any means.
I should emphasize however that even in this excellent quality background one wine stood out as exceptional :
the 2005 Alana-Tokaj 6
puttonyos.
Its nose was penetrating, generous and
nuanced with a slight aromatic character
and hints of bitter orange, honey, beeswax, mimosa and peach.
On the palate it was simply the quintessence of nectar.
I had to stop myself from shouting "Oh, this is good shit!" - don't forget the tasting was in an ancient church!
Viscous and velvety, silky with a wonderful concentration; the acidity and sweetness
so well balanced and harmoniously integrated.
Absolutely the best Tokaji I
have ever had and one of the best sweet wines, ever.
Phenomenal."
Anders
Öhman AIWS
Sommelier
Gustibus Wine & Spirit Academy,
Sweden
http://ohmansmatovin.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/vinprovning-i-mosken/
Londoners, Washingtonians and New Yorkers, thank you for coming out to taste our wines!
We hope you enjoyed our wines as much as Neal Martin did!
In his Wine Journal with the Wine Advocate he wrote this about our 2006 "Autumn in Tokaj" release:
(and rated it highest among the late harvest non-aszu wines at the Decanter event):
2006 ALANA-TOKAJ Autumn in Tokaj (LH Cuvée)
91 points
"Tasted
at the Decanter Tokaji tasting. A blend of 60% Harslevelu, 30%
Furmint and 10% Zeta
with 165 gms residual sugar, this has a rounded nose with tropical fruit, toffee apple and beeswax.
It could do with a little more definition. The palate has a lovely viscous texture with
almond, honeysuckle, passion fruit and a touch of quince.
Harmonious, not particularly complex but very refined on the finish with
a hint of lemony dried honey on the aftertaste that adroitly disguises the 165 gm/L residual sugar.
This leaves me with a smile on my face."
This is what Kristian Kielmayer wrote:
ALANA-TOKAJ Tokaji dry Furmint 2006
Took 2 years to ferment (!)
in barrels. Golden colour, different combinations of apple on the
nose, with blossom and grapefruit in hot pursuit. Complex nose. Dry,
good acidity, refreshing, hint of almond, vanilla on the palate yet
with zinginess. No MLF, good body and complex notes, fine finish.
www.kristiankielmayer.com/2009/11/discover-the-magic-of-tokaji/
DECANTER
Top Tokaji Recommendations
"The best wines from Stephen Brook's Tokajis masterclass at Decanter's first ever Tokaji tasting. "
ALANA-TOKAJ Tokaji dry Furmint 2006
"Lemon
peel and orange rind. Lemony acidity. Made in the dry style but
still retains some sweetness.
Dried fruits with bold acidity. Surprisingly viscous for such a dry wine."
photo courtesy of www.hangulatfoto.hu
Favorite Quotes
These are some of our favorite quotes from recent years!
Norbert Csite, formerly of the leading independent Hungarian wineblog
"The Educated Alcoholic" (alkoholista.blog.hu) wrote the following
after the Tokaj Renaissance premier:
"Nagy hatással volt rám a Pendits aszúeszenciája, tetszett az Oremus 6 puttonyosa. Ami igazán kiverte nálam a biztosítékot, az az Alana muskotálya. Németh Attilának aranykeze van. Eszméletlen szép, huvös, gyümölcsös illat, picinyke fanyarsággal. Ízében lendületes, zamatos, finoman ásványos, véget nem éro ízzel. Pazar."
"I was impressed by the aszueszencia from Pendits, and I liked the 6 puttonyos aszu by Oremus. But what really blew my fuse was the Alana (-Tokaj) Muscat. Attila Nemeth has hands made of gold. This wine is out-of-this-world beautiful, with a cool fruity fragrance, touch of tartness, great momentum on the attack, with loads of flavor, fine minerality, and an unending finish. Simply spectacular."
His co-author, "Alfoldi Merlot" (Csaba Jonas) added a bit of Hungarian flair and passion:
"Nálam eddig az év bora a Németh Attilára bízott tokaji Alana birtok sárgamuskotálya. Állítólag Amerikába fog menni az a néhány száz palack, ami készült. That’s what I call nemzeti értékek elherdálása." "... az Alana Pincészet 2005-ös tokaji sárgamuskotálya a Tokaj Renaissance egyik csúcspontja volt – letisztult, elegáns, klasszikus szépség." "Néhányszor már leírtam, és nincs okom módosítani a véleményemet: istenadta tehetség. ...Németh Attila a sárgamuskotály koronázatlan királya, a 2005-os Alana számomra mérföldko."
"So far, my wine of the year is the Muscat by Attila Nemeth of Alana-Tokaj. I hear that the couple hundred bottles he made will end up in the US. That's what I call squandering our national treasures." ... "...the 2005 Muscat by Alana-Tokaj was one of the highlights of the Tokaj Renaissance - refined, elegant, a classic beauty." ...
"I have said this before several times, and I have no reason to change my mind: here is a talent rarely handed down by God. ... Attila Nemeth is the uncrowned king of Muscat. For me, the 2005 is a milestone."
A Visit With Attila From Alana Tokaj
by Kenny Galloway
thegrandcrew.wordpress.com
"Attila’s passion and dedication are quite evident. He certainly appears to be one of the rising stars of Tokaj. Based on conversations I had with other local vintners, he’s already gained great respect from his peers. ... It’s clear that he’s deeply invested in his wines and is focused on quality, not production levels."
2005
“Betsek” Late Harvest Yellow Muscat: "Beautiful
and complex nose with tropical, lychee, mineral, floral, nutmeg, and
marshmallow aromas. Nice acidity, rich and full-bodied.
Wet stones, honey, dried apricot, and marshmallow flavors.
...My
favorite wine of the trip [to Tokaj]."
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or with questions about Tokaji in general or our wines in particular,
please feel free to e-mail us at:
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