Ripe honeydew melon, ginger root, candied lime. Fresh apricot, spilled kerosene, juicy papaya. Sweet passionfruit, lemon peel, and soft Bartlett pear converge dynamically with raw honey, struck flint, and shaved turmeric in an impressively fragrant and spicy bouquet. Gardenias, honeysuckle, and an interesting almost petrol-like note continue the barrage of pronounced aromatics bolstered further by white pepper and a tinge of wet mushroom. While remarkably perfumed and ambrosial on the nose a dramatic surprise awaits on the palate where tremendous freshness and crushed rocked minerality back the honeyed and lightly botrytized fruit parade. Dry, classic, and wonderfully layered; showing exceptional nuance, developed complexity, and balanced acidity within its medium body frame. This 2015 Tokaji Hárslevelű by Árvay is an excitingly unique and delicious dry white from Hungary.

The Hungarian wine region of Tokaj is world renowned for producing some of the planet's most legendary and long-lived sweet wine, yet recently its dry wines have been the recipients of some well-deserved hype. This bottling, crafted by Árvay using the Hárslevelű grape sourced from within Tokaj, is an exceptional example of an esoteric yet incredibly riveting style of wine. It possesses a gorgeously lifted fruit profile complicated by ample doses of honey and spice that seamlessly intertwine with incredibly high-toned terpenes. Its not Riesling, not Grüner, nor is it Gewürz, but this expressive yet refreshing single-varietal bottling captivates as spectacularly any of these famed noble grapes. A little bottle age has done wonders here in softening the acidity allowing for the development of beautiful tertiary nuance, and although enjoyable now this wine may likely continue to improve for at least a decade to come. An outstanding wine we discovered thanks to our friends at Rae Vino.