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Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes sale). Free UK delivery on orders over £175. Tel : 02922 337454
Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes sale). Free UK delivery on orders over £175. Tel : 02922 337454
2000 Tokaji Aszu Eszencia 'Imperium', Chateau Dereszla, 375ml Your Store

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

Tokaj, Hungary

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.

Whats in the bottle
Furmint, Hárslevelű, Zéta, and Sárgamuskotály

Notable Awards
94 points Wine Spectator. "Rich and mouthcoating, with apricot, orange and vanilla cream aromas and flavours. The underlying acidity keeps this lively and stretches the flavours out on the long finish. There's a nice salty tang on the aftertaste. Drink now through 2025. 600 cases made."

£120.00 - £120.00
£120.00
£120.00 - £120.00
£120.00
Availability:
Only 1 left!

Perched on the gentle hillsides above the Bodrog River, Château Dereszla is one of the Tokaj region’s great historic estates, a name intertwined with centuries of Hungarian winemaking tradition. The cellars, carved deep into volcanic tuff beneath the village of Bodrogkeresztúr, date back to the 15th century and have long been a sanctuary for the slow ageing of Tokaj’s most prized wines.

After years of quiet dormancy, the estate was reborn in the 1990s under French ownership, bringing fresh energy, precision and investment to one of Tokaj’s sleeping giants. Today, Dereszla balances the best of old-world heritage and modern winemaking while preserving the estate’s deep cellars, traditional small oak barrels, and meticulous hand-harvesting, while introducing state-of-the-art vineyard management and temperature-controlled vinification.

The vineyards, planted across both loess and volcanic soils in Tokaj’s most prestigious crus, are devoted primarily to the region’s noble varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Zéta, and Sárgamuskotály. This diversity of terroir allows Dereszla to craft wines that span the full Tokaji spectrum, from the crisp vitality of Dry Furmint to the luscious, age-worthy splendour of 5 and 6 Puttonyos Aszú and the rare, golden Eszencia.

At the pinnacle of the range sits Imperium, an Aszú Eszencia made only in the finest vintages, a wine that distils the essence of botrytised berries into something transcendent. Château Dereszla’s style is defined by clarity, balance, and quiet elegance, a seamless union of Hungary’s ancient winemaking soul and France’s refined sense of precision. In every bottle, the estate tells the timeless story of Tokaj: nature’s generosity, human patience, and the enduring pursuit of liquid gold.