2000 Tokaji Aszu Eszencia 'Imperium', Chateau Dereszla, 375ml

A wine that feels closer to nectar than drink, the 2000 Tokaji Aszú Eszencia ‘Imperium’ from Château Dereszla is pure liquid gold,  unctuous, luminous, and breathtakingly complex. The nose is a symphony of dried apricot, acacia honey, candied orange peel, and fig, layered with notes of saffron, caramel, and sweet tobacco. On the palate, it’s extraordinary: a cascade of golden fruit and spice that coats the mouth yet remains ethereal, lifted by shimmering acidity and that unmistakable volcanic minerality of Tokaj. The finish seems endless - glowing, honeyed, and whispering of eternity.

For when: you want to taste something that time itself crafted.
Pairs with: blue cheese, spiced pear tart, or simply solitude and a crystal glass.
If this wine were a jewel, it’d be pure amber, ancient, radiant, and impossibly rare.

Château Dereszla, one of Tokaj’s oldest cellars, dates back to the 15th century and stands as a cornerstone of the region’s winemaking heritage. Located near the village of Bodrogkeresztúr, the estate sits atop ancient volcanic soils that infuse its wines with their signature tension and mineral elegance. After decades of obscurity during Hungary’s communist era, Dereszla was reborn under French ownership in the 1990s, ushering in a new age of precision and quality.

The Imperium represents the pinnacle of Dereszla’s craft, an Aszú Eszencia produced only in the most exceptional vintages. Composed of painstakingly hand-selected, botrytised berries of Furmint, Hárslevelű, and Zéta, it’s fermented incredibly slowly to preserve every ounce of natural sweetness and vitality. The 2000 vintage, one of Tokaj’s finest of the modern era, yielded fruit of stunning purity and balance, producing a wine of near-immortal potential. The Imperium is not just a dessert wine, it’s a legend bottled, an essence of Tokaj that blurs the line between wine and wonder.