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THE MUSEUM COLLECTION |
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| Tokaji Aszú wines from the Museum Collection exhibit a balance of richness
and acidity, allied to a freshness that is un-equalled in antique
wines. These sumptuous wines are kept in ideal conditions, are
carefully aged in cask and bottle over many years in a labyrinth
of C13th underground cellars. |
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| The Museum Collection is a treasury, containing the very finest
Tokaji wines ever made, and represents a unique history of the
region. The Museum Cellars are a living record of the best vintages,
which are nurtured by expert cellarmen who understand the refinements
of the winemaking process and also the nuances of each corner
and passage of the Cellar.
Security is so tight in the Museum Cellar that only the most privileged
visitors are able to enter. A tour and tasting in the Museum Cellar
is a unforgettable experience. The antique wine is stored in cask
and bottle in caves and underground passageways on various levels
within the cellar network. The bottles accumulate a layer of velvet
like cellar mould, which sometimes covers them completely.
The mould is a vital part of the winemaking process, feeding on
the vapours from the wine. The same mould covers the walls and
ceilings of the cellar, creating an unreal ambience in the cellar.
In the heart of the Cellar, is the tasting room where under the
eagle eye of the Cellarmaster or one of his deputies, privileged
guests taste the rarest of nectars in the most spectacular surroundings
steeped in history and tradition. In the Cellar security requires
that the footsteps of visitors in the sand on the floor are swept
away behind them so that the presence of intruders can be noticed. |
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| The most spectacular wines, in the astounding Museum Collection
include Tokaji wines from the following years: |
| 1906 |
| 1912, 1915, |
| 1920 |
| 1936, 1937 |
| 1940, 1942, 1947 |
| 1952, 1956, 1957, 1959 |
| 1963, 1964 |
| 1972 |
| 1983 |
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| Museum wines for the following years are likely to be available
in due course, once they have reached their true potential: |
| 1988, |
| 1993, 1999 |
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| The Cellarmasters, who were themselves taught by earlier generations,
understand the closely guarded secrets of the Cellar and know
where all the rarest and finest wines are stocked. Connoisseurs
wishing to keep their own collection of Museum wines in the best
conditions can rent their own shelf in the Cellar for a nominal
fee. Tasting notes are available for all the Museum wines but
the wines themselves are only made available from time to time
by Crown Estates for Auction or release through Agents.
Cellar Masters at the Museum Cellar will tell you that it is not
a question of following a recipe. The nuances of cellars, different
vintages and complex second fermentation, followed by years of
maturation and development in the barrel, must make Tokaj the
most complicated, and one of the most expensive wines in the world
to make. |
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| Museum Wines From Crown Estates
The Museum Collection is unique to Crown Estates. No other Tokaji
house has access to the Museum Cellar and its fabulous rare wines
from the finest vintages.
Crown Estates have about 50 different wines from the very finest
vintages dating back to 1900. From the rarest of these wines,
20 top vintages were entered into the "Finest and Rarest" Sothebys
Auction on 15th November 2000.
The top price of £1,050 was acheived for a bottle of rare Aszu
Essencia from 1912, made when the main Crown Estates vineyards
were still owned by the Hungarian monarchy. |
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