Set on the south-facing slopes of Tokaj town in the heart of the Tokaj Wine Region, the 55-hectare Tokaj-Hetszolo estate is known worldwide for its unique wines and rich history. The history of the Hetszolo vineyard began in 1502 when the Garai family assembled seven vineyards (het=seven, szolo=vineyard).
In 2009 the estate found a new owner in Michel Reybier who saw and found the unparalleled value and tradition that place Tokaj-Hetszolo deservedly into the prestigious group of estates of Grand Cru Classe Cos d'Estournel (Saint-Estephe, Bordeaux), Chateau Marbuzet and Goulee estates (Medoc, Bordeaux).
The overwhelming majority of the estate vineyards were classified as First Growth vineyards in 1772 classification of Tokaj: Hetszolo and Nagyszolo. The loose-structured loess typical of the Tokaj Hill thickly covers the volcanic bedrock. Only cumin seed oil, orange oil, nettle tea and some sulphur and copper are used in the vineyards, which have been certified organic since 2016, and of course all the grapes are picked by hand.
The dry wines will soon also be labelled organic, but whether labelling aszu wines as organic would bring any additional benefit has yet to be decided. Picking botrytised berries for aszu is truly a skilled task. Hetszolo winery ensures the continuation of this skill in the wine region by allocating a family a parcel of vines to take care of during the year. The family takes responsibility for the manual work on this parcel, which includes picking the aszu berries at harvest time. The younger generation return to the area for the harvest and thus are trained to do this skilled task. This not only ensures the expert picking of the precious berries, but also helps to keep families in the area.
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