We can go ahead and throw out my vast knowledge of wine theory and tens of thousands of tasted wines because today’s 2009 rarity from Samuel Tinon is among the wildest, most eccentric bottles I’ve ever experienced. We’ve offered Tokaji wines before, both sweet and dry, but never something of this magnitude: A fiercely dry, 11-year-old white layered with salty, nutty, and powerfully exotic flavors à la Spain’s finest Fino sherry and/or the Jura’s mind-bending Vin Jaune. But ultimately, the experience this wine brings is rivaled by none. 

Dry Szamorodni, or Száraz Szamorodni, is one of Tokaj’s truly limited gems—in fact, it can only be made in Tokaj. Replication is simply impossible because of the special combination of ingredients at play: (1) a come-as-you-are blend of botrytized, ripe, and shriveled grapes, (2) Claspodorium cellare, a distinct microorganism that’s endemic to the dank, volcanic cellars of Hungary, and (3) a thin veil of native yeast that protects the wine whilst in barrel. What eventually emerges after nearly six years in old Hungarian oak and five more in bottle is a fully dry, judiciously oxidative, powerfully flavored white wine of absolute uniqueness. I’ll dig deeper into the “how” of this wine below, but as for right now, I must bring awareness to the severe lack of quantity at hand. Only a few dozen cases of this spellbinding white made it into the country so if you’re eager to try the most singular wine experience of the year, snag one right now before it’s too late. IMPORTANT NOTE: This dimension-bending white is for thrillseekers and highly advanced palates only!

Following Communism’s dissolution and the first wave of privatization over the last quarter-century, Tokaj has slowly repositioned itself into the world-class appellation it once was. And it’s deserved too: they are the world’s oldest region for botrytized wine production and are responsible for the first-ever vineyard classification system. Now, the wines coming out of the region are nothing short of sensational; they are powered by quality, terroir, and individualism—a perfect description of grower-producer Samuel Tinon. 

Samuel Tinon was born in Bordeaux in 1969 and moved to Hungary immediately after the Revolutions in 1989— he was the very first Frenchmen to do so in 1991. After meeting a journalist writing about wines from Tokaj, they acquired a cellar and married in 1999. His first vintage of Tokaji Aszú (sweet botrytized wine) came the following year. Today, Samuel farms 12 acres of incredibly old vines, some of which are pushing 90 years old, that are planted in volcanic and calcareous clay soils dating back 15 million years. In the vineyard, Samuel eschews herbicides, pesticides, and machines; only hands are used here. 

Now, onto today’s mysterious, fanatically crafted white. This is a “száraz” or a dry style of Szamorodni, which loosely translates to “as it comes off the vine.” Essentially, the Furmint and Hárslevelű grapes for this wine are picked at various stages of ripeness, from pleasantly plump to shriveled to full-on botrytized. All of them are harvested and fermented bone-dry together and this is where the process becomes wholly unique: The damp, volcanic-based cellars of Tokaj are coated with a unique mold, Claspodorium cellare, that combines with a thin band of yeast (“flor”) in the barrel to prevent the wine from severely oxidizing. Today’s 2009 spent nearly six years in old 220-liter Hungarian barrels, protected by this special dynamic duo of highly active microorganisms. Even more astonishing, these powerful fungi allow for alcohol to evaporate over time—the Angel’s Share—but not any water! Meaning, the longer these wines mature in barrel, the less alcoholic they become (today’s sits around 14.5% ABV so we can assume the alcohol was several percentage points higher during its first year in barrel in 2010). Only minimal amounts of sulfur were added throughout the entire process. After bottling in late 2015, the wine rested in Tinon’s cellar until the beginning of this year. 

So there you have it. A wild, tremendously powerful, unfortified, dry Tokaji that delivers one of the most unique drinking experiences in the world. Again, this wine is not meant for beginners or those married to the comfort zone. If you like Fino and Palo Cortado sherry, you’ll geek out over Tinon’s 2009 Dry Szamorodni, and if you love Vin Jaune from the likes of Ganevat, Tissot, and Puffeney, this will blast you into outer space. In the glass, the wine reveals a deep, highly viscous straw yellow and effuses bruised yellow apple and pear, damp straw, toasted nuts, salt-preserved citrus, marzipan, exotic spice, sous bois, melon peel, bergamot peel, lees, varnish, dried chamomile, and cheese rind with a strong saline component throughout. The palate is dry and full-bodied with immense texture and a persistent salty-savory interplay. It’s enough to cause your head to spin, but if you manage to keep it on straight and taste it over the course of multiple days you’ll unlock further dimensions and flavors that no other wine can. We always talk about complexity in wines, so if that holds true, this must be the bonus round. Enjoy now around 55 degrees in all-purpose stems (smaller pours, 2-3 ounces), and save any other bottles for the next 10, 15, 20 years. Heck, this wine might be indefatigable. Only time will tell.