Château Pajzos "T" Tokaji Furmint Dry

Château Pajzos sits in the heart of the Tokaj region, on slopes surrounding the historic wine village of Sárospatak, part of the "Renaissance of Tokaji" launched in 1991 when Jean-Michel Arcaute and Jean-Louis Laborde, the latter also owner of Château Clinet in Pomerol, led a group of investors to acquire the estate in the wake of the post-communist transition. Today the 100-hectare domaine, with 55 hectares under vine, remains under the sole ownership of the Laborde family, managed by Ronan Laborde and his winemaking team, who continue to invest in raising quality through modernized viticulture, including a shift to single Guyot pruning to lower yields and advance ripening. The 2023 vintage is built from 97% Furmint alongside 3% Sárga Muskotály (a local Muscat variant), sourced from the estate's volcanic, mineral-rich soils that give Pajzos's Furmint both natural acidity and real concentration, the same qualities that make the grape prized for the region's legendary sweet Aszú wines, though here it's vinified fully dry. The wine is aged in tank and bottled the spring following harvest, prioritizing freshness and purity of fruit over oak influence. Expect a nose of orchard fruit, golden apple, lychee, anise, verbena, honey, and lime, unfolding on the palate into a smooth, silky texture with orange grove and citrus character, balanced throughout by the crisp, mineral-driven acidity that's a signature of Tokaj's volcanic terroir. At 12.5% alcohol, it's a lighter, food-friendly style well suited to shellfish, poultry, and dishes with citrus or herbal accents. It's a great entry point into Furmint as a serious dry white in its own right, a genealogical parent of Riesling, Chardonnay, and Gamay, and a wine that shows why the grape's natural acid and concentration have made it central to Tokaj's identity for centuries, well beyond its famous role in sweet Aszú production.