Freddy R. Troya

9.8

Royal Tokaji – 5 Puttonyos Aszú 2016
Tokaj – Hungary 🇭🇺

Overview
A classic Tokaji Aszú, made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea (noble rot), then macerated with must to create Hungary’s legendary sweet wine. The 5 puttonyos designation signals a rich yet balanced level of sweetness, around 120 g/L residual sugar. (Educational note: “Puttonyos” refers to the traditional baskets of aszú berries added — the higher the number, the sweeter and more concentrated the wine.)

Aromas & Flavors
Lush apricot, honey, and candied orange peel at the forefront, layered with quince, dried fig, and lemon curd. Hints of saffron, ginger, and toasted almond bring exotic spice and complexity.

Mouthfeel
Velvety and lusciously sweet, balanced by vibrant acidity that keeps it lifted. Full-bodied yet precise, with a long, honeyed finish that leaves both richness and freshness.

Food Pairings
Perfect with blue cheese, foie gras, or fruit tarts. Also excellent with roasted nuts, crème brûlée, or simply savored on its own as a meditative dessert wine.

Verdict
A benchmark Tokaji — rich, layered, and perfectly balanced. The 2016 vintage of Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos Aszú offers indulgence and structure, proving why Tokaji has been called “the wine of kings.” 👑🍷

Did You Know?
Tokaji Aszú is one of the world’s oldest regulated wines — protected since 1737, nearly a century before Bordeaux’s 1855 classification.

Collector’s Rarity 📌
Royal Tokaji’s Aszú wines are globally sought after, and a 5 puttonyos 2016 bottling represents both a collectible dessert wine and a piece of vinous history — 8 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

The 2013 Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, aged for 20 months in oak barrels, has a perfumed, honeyed bouquet with mango and yellow plum. It doesn't quite have the complexity of the 2014. The palate is well balanced with a pure entry, a keen line of acidity, orange zest-tinged honeyed fruit and nougat and hazelnut notes on the finish. The palate has a tad more complexity than the aromatics, but overall, it is very fine, if not the long-term prospect of other vintages. (Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2024)
— 2 years ago

Stas Medvedev

9.3

🏅 Rating 93+/100 (4,35⭐)

Tasted from magnum.

Ruby color with tawny hue showing the age. First nose has a slight touch of iron. Fruit is ripe and sweet. Vegetable scent of tomato stems suggesting presence of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sandy tannins of Sangiovese. Amazing how bottle aging makes the wine so smooth and satin.

Mostly tertiary aromas, but very well holding the age and could last for at least 5 more years without any signs of decline

Elegant expression of famous Tignanello.

1981 was outshadowed by great 1982. It was 10th anniversary vintage and is considered a very fine one.

Key oenological data:
Average sugar content of grapes at harvest 21.00%
Average total acidity of the grapes 7.80%
Alcohol content after fermentation 13.00
Average fermentation temperature 28C
Length of fermentation 13 days
Acidity of wine after malo 5.90
Ageing in 225 litre barrels 20 months
Bottle ageing in our cellars 18 months

======
I have published the article with a story of Tignanello, the emblematic SuperTuscan wine from Antinori.

\- What were the key factors of its success?
\- What makes this wine stand out from many other wines form Tuscany?

Best enjoyed with a glass of Tignanello.

Read the full article at www.stasmedvedev.lv/wine

---
Instagram: @wine_talks_club — 5 years ago

Mirelsa Modestti

9.3

Red fruit has never been as regal. The visual experience is bathed in red elegance. A hint of licorice in the nose, followed by an explosion of berries all over the place, and then the most beautiful silk as it fades into a long, subtle farewell. A beautiful surprise every time. — 8 years ago

Alessandro Cantarelli

9.6

the best wine made in my home valley. It uses the same process as Amarone but it is smoother and fresher without loosing complex structure and strong cherry and caramel — 9 years ago

Emily P

9.2

What's Hungarian for "sweet but not syrupy"? — 10 years ago

Rich Bluth

9.0

The best Syrah I know. Grab a grilled steak and enjoy the long lasting finish. — 10 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.4

Wow!
Yes a bit sweet, but amazing Hungarian late harvest. — 11 years ago

Lowell Minick

9.5

Wine and BBQ...perfect match — 12 years ago

Chris MacLean

9.2

Excellent showing. More strength and structure than I expected. — 8 months ago

with Sarah

Joe Fischer

8.9

Ruby with red cherry aromas. On the bud, there is a slight tartness with a medium finish. — 9 months ago

Emily Anderson

9.2

Beautiful Chardonnay! — 4 years ago

Bob Stackman

9.0

Very tasty old vine Zin! Smooth and is it, “fruit-forward”, yes that is it. — 5 years ago

Geoffrey Green

9.9

Still balanced, harmonious, & concentrated at 22+ years. Has at least 5+ years of vitality. Double decanted & aerated for 5 hours. Beautiful. — 7 years ago

Pietro Amirkhanian

9.2

Honey, saffron, thick and super yummy — 8 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Deep purplish ruby red. A bit of heat on the nose with dark berries. Moderate plus tannins (7.5/10) and medium plus bodied. More integrated on the palate than the Clone 6. Solid dark berries, black cherries and a little black fruits on the palate. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2028. — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Al Doyle

9.3

What a surprise. Apparently there were three of these just lying around in Missouri. Who knew? Obvs we ripped through them all. — 10 years ago

with Kenneth, Koko and 1 other

Louiza Collins

9.4

Velvety mouthfeel with medium tannins. Robust red and dried fruits, finish of vanilla and graphite. Quaffable af. Would pair with lamb, rabbit, pork, cheese, hummus. Versatile. Honestly not worth it's price point. An off vintage from a delicious vinyard. Would not be hard to find a bottle 1/5 of the price. — 11 years ago

Justin Ennis

10

This is the 1985 Napa Cab and was tasted out of 5 liter. This wine was excellent! Herbal notes with a touch of saddle. I was so surprised by how much red fruit was on the pallet with a wine this old! Amazing! — 11 years ago

Scott Gladstone

9.5

Ma(i)sonry Napa Tasting 2012 — 13 years ago

Nathan Renfro

9.7

First bottle of the 2010. This is gonna be a really special wine but I think it need another 5-7 years. Tannins and softened, fruit is there, acidity is still strong, and don’t get me wrong it’s great now with a couple hour decant, but in a few years it’ll be really nice. Getting black, blue, and dark red fruit, ripe and juicy. Man so silky in the mouth. Graphite, stone, forest floor, cedar, hints of camphor, black licorice. Wonderful. Nice medium + finish. Really nice, only going to get better! — 9 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Pretty deep ruby , thin ruby rim . This is quite closed at first , but very focused mineral and grafite , oyster shell notes with dark blackcurrant and blackberry notes , spicy touches too . On the palate this is really focused and reserved , lots of mineral tinged black fruits , tobacco , oyster shell . Quite rich yet very good balance, fresh acidity . Ripe but gritty tannins , saline and really long finish . Accessible now , but really destined for the long term. Wait another 5-10 years , will drink well a further 20 . At Vinous Icons, Pier 60 NY, Feb 2025 — 9 months ago

Marc Melser

9.4

We had the 2013 Vintage on 5/2-3/21. This was a terrific full bodied, well balanced wine. Tastes of blackberry, plum, kirsch and vanilla on the palate. The tannins were smoothed out. A great example of the Napa floor. — 5 years ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.1

Yellow delicious apple and white peach. Very honeyed as well. This is exactly how I like my morning granola. It's been twenty years since I've been to Hungary. This is a great reminder that I've got to get back. — 6 years ago

with Anita

Misha Ko

9.2

Very good and balanced — 7 years ago

Karen Dickson

8.9

I plowed through a spicy sausage stuffed green pepper with this as a companion. Floral notes and an exotic sandlewood flavor. Finish was thin, but I'm not complaining — 9 years ago

Tanya Henderson

8.9

Fruity Bold Plum Flavor Not for Nancy — 10 years ago

Mike Lee

9.4

A monster of a wine! This takes me back to all of the wonders of our last Paso trip. Merry Christmas, you filthy animals!!! — 10 years ago

Oskar Brauer

9.2

The sweet, sour or acidity very balance — 11 years ago

Ryan Foss

9.2

More tannic, powerful, youthful, and funky than the '85,
But still great. Probably needs another 5-10. — 11 years ago