Tokaj – Tállya
Tokaj is the world’s first delimited wine region since 1737 and is listed and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. It is known as the birthplace of natural sweet wines since its special terroir and the microclimate created by the confluence of two rivers enables the onset of Botrytis cinerea (noble rot) however the emergence of dry estate wines and single vineyard bottlings in recent years have also contributed to raising the profile of the wine region.
Tállya is situated in the north west of the wine region and comes with a rich historical heritage dating back to the 13th century. Characterized by a special and varied soil structure no other town in the Tokaj wine region can lay claim to a higher number of first class historic vineyards. The climate is windy and relatively cool therefore there is less disease pressure and the wines made here have higher acidity. Our plantings of furmint, hárslevelű and muscat lunel are trained either as mid height cordon or head-trained and vary in age ranging from new plantings to 70 year old parcels.
Báthory – Bátorka
The history of this vineyard begins with the famous Thurzó family however it was named after judge royal András Báthory of Ecsed who reclaimed his legacy the Tállya vineyards from the town of Lőcse. The line of owners included Ilona Zrínyi, Julianna Rákóczi and also Ferenc II. Rákóczi. After the fall of Rákóczi’s War of Independence the vineyard remained part of the Regéc estate, but it was taken over by the Trautsons. The Trautsons were then followed by Austrian and German noble families as owners until the mid-twentieth century. Bátorka the name in common use today was coined after World War II during the time of the communist regime in an attempt to make people forget the historic Báthory name.
Borkút
This is one of the lesser known and scarcely documented vineyards of Tállya, taking its name from a temporary spring in the vicinity of the vineyard. First mentioned in 1644 it was part of the Regéc-Tállya demesne belonging to the Rákóczi family and was farmed by the municipality of Tállya who employed day labourers.
The parent rock is granular detritus of rhyolite tuff with some traces of andesite. The soil is mainly brown forest soil with clay leachings and it contains siginificant amounts of detritus. The vineyard has an average slope grade and the aspect is mainly south-west. The climate is medium-warm.
Csatorna – Csatornya
This one also belongs to the lesser known vineyards. The name dates back to the 17th century and refers to a drain ditch in its close proximity. It was first mentioned in 1670. Having participated in the Wesselényi Conspiracy László Gyulaffy’s estates including plots in Csatorna were confiscated by the Imperial Court. Later it was sold at a knockdown price and several noble families gained ownership here. Until the mid-twentieth century the vineyards were mainly in the hands of wealthier landowners. The most important owners of vineyards in Csatorna were the Earls of Vécse, Barons of Meskó, and the descendents and heirs of the noble families of Jeney and Kurz.
The parent rock is rhyolite tuff manifested mainly as stone meal and the soil is mostly composed of alluvium from forested areas and brown forest soil with clay leachings. This is a vineyard with an average slope grade and the aspect is mainly southern. The climate is relatively cool and windy inducive to even ripening and producing wines of great character.
Dongó
The name refers to the gentry family of Donghós hailing from Zemplén County who came into possession of the vineyard in the second half of the 15th century. The earliest written record dates to 1561, it was mentioned in a property census and was listed as vinea Dongho belonging to the Tállya Castle District. The Báthory Family owned sizable properties here until the beginning of the 17th century when their land was taken over by the Imperial Court. On orders of Ferenc II. Rákóczi a registry was compiled of the Tokaj-Hegyalja vineyards in 1707 so we know exactly who the owners were at the time. Following Rákóczi’s War of Independence many of the estates changed hands however the owners of the most important ones, the Lelesz Magistrates and the Dessewffy Family remained major landowners in Dongó until the mid-twentieth century.
The parent rock is locally aggregated rhyolite tuff, coarse grained or in the form of stone meal; the soil is rocky and arid with significant amounts of detritus. The vineyard has an aspect that is mainly south and south-west with lower water retention.
Görbe
This is a vineyard with relatively late registration, the first known record dates back to 1644 and it was listed as the vineyard of the Regéc-Tállya demesne, the only other owner with significant holdings in Görbe was the free royal city of Bártfa. Until the end of Rákóczi’s War of Independence there were no major private landowners here. The only exception being the town of Bártfa; their property was granted exemption from paying tithe as a right of inheritance by Prince Ferenc I. Rákóczi (1642−1676) in 1674. After the War of Independence the town sold its properties which were taken over first by the Trautsons, and then by the noble families of the Baloghs and the Mudránys and finally transferred through inheritance to the Reformed Church remaining in their posession until the mid-twentieth century.
The parent rock is coarse grained detritus of rhyolite tuff, a mixture of stone meal of rhyolite tuff and clay to varying degrees. The soil is mostly alluvium from forested areas. It is a vineyard with relatively good water retention and the aspect is mainly southern.
Hasznos
Originally the vineyard of the Tállya Castle District it was taken over by the Szapolyais in 1459. The name takes its origin from the word ’haszon’ meaning fertile, a definite sign that this vineyard has always been regarded as excellent. It was first documented in 1467 as part of a real estate contract. It was partitioned in the Middle Ages hence the appearance of the names Kis-Hasznos and Nagy-Hasznos in documents. In 1522 the Hasznos vineyards owned by György Szathmáry Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal and his family passed to the town of Kassa, thus giving birth to today’s Kassai-Hasznos vineyard in Tállya. Furthermore these two major vineyards were exempted from paying tithe by the Szapolyais who were the principal landowners of the region.
The land registry compiled between 1702-07 distinguishes portions within Hasznos by the names Kis-, Nagy-, Kassai-, Görbe-Hasznos and Hasznos-tető. During the later part of the 19th century the importance of the emerging Jewish bourgeoisie was on the rise. Until the end of World War II most of the vineyard was in the hands of the noble Dessewffy family and its heirs.
The parent rock is coarse grained detritus of rhyolite tuff but there are traces of andesite and quarzite as well. The soil is alluvium from forested areas with some barren spots of stony soil. This is a vineyard with good water retention capacity and there is a significant amount of lime in the deeper strata of the soil.
Patócs
Another vineyard named after its first owner. The Patócs family from Kassa purchased the vineyard right next to Tállya in the 16th century. First documented in 1622 under the name Patocz it was entered into the chamber registry as a manor vineyard. In 1635 the Prince of Transylvania György I. Rákóczi gave exemption from paying tithe for the vineyards belonging to the Faygel (Feigel) and Szegedy families thus elevating their properties to the status of free vineyards. After the failed Wesselényi Conspiracy the two families lost their estates, a fate soon shared by the Hányi family as a retorsion for their involvement in the Thököly movement. Following Rákóczi’s War of Independence Patócs was further partitioned and the locals started to distinguish Kis- and Nagy-Patócs.
The parent rock is granular rhyolite tuff and loess silt, the soil is stony and barren with some spots of woodland alluvium. It is a plot with higher lime content that is also reflected in the pH value. Water retention is not particularly good with an effect of slowing down somewhat the growth of vines.
Sasalja
Originally part of the historical Palota vineyard in Tállya, it was first mentioned, indirectly, in 1459 when King Mátyás I. awarded the Tállya and Tokaj Castle Districts with all their belongings and settlements to the Szapolyai family. The name dates back to the 16th century and most probably takes its origin from a German bourgeois family living in Kassa called the Szász (meaning: Saxon) but written in the latin form of ’Sas’. The Sasalja name first appears in records in the 1620s however the two plots were one and the same. The Sas family died out without descendants and the vineyard became a crown estate at the beginning of the 17th century. Not much later a major portion was awarded to the noble Tatay family. When it was first documented in 1622 Baron Menyhért Alaghy judge royal and lord lieutenant of Zemplén County exempted the property of György Tatay in the Sasalja vineyard at the Palota vineyard from paying tithe thereby his plots became so-called free vineyards. In 1644 Tatay having comitted high treason fell into disgrace and his properties were confiscated and soon they were awarded to the Rákóczi family. After the fall of Rákóczi’s War of Independance the vineyards were taken over by the Trautsons. Later partly through inheritance, partly through sales the Orczy, Szirmay and Vay noble families came into possession of holdings in Sasalja and remained owners until the mid-twentieth century.
The parent rock is coarse grained detritus of rhyolite tuff with some traces of andesite, the soil is stony barren and brown forest soil. The mesoclimate is warm therefore bud break starts earlier and the berries ripen faster.
Tökösmál
This is one of the vineyards in Tokaj-Hegyalja with the longest documented history. It was named after the Thekes/Tekes/Thekus clan of Abaúj county whose estates were situated in the settlements along the Hernád south of Kassa. Probably arriving to Tállya’s vicinity in the 14th century the family died out without an heir and their estates came into the possession of the Debrey family. Later they were purchased by the Hunyadis and were awarded to the Szapolyai family in 1459 by King Matthias I. By this time Tökösmál was part of the Tállya demesne. Because of the devastation caused by the Ottoman-Turkish army in the East-Szerémség many winemaking families moved to what is today Abaújszántó, Mád, Rátka and Tállya and continued their trade on the Tállya demesne introducing modern technologies in viticulture and winemaking. First the wine merchants of Kassa and Bártfa and finally the municipality itself sought to purchase vineyards here. This is the origin of the first written record of Tökösmál spelled asThwkwsmal as it was mentioned in connection with a failed real estate contract dating from 1481. From the era following the Battle of Mohács until right up to 1617 little data has survived concerning the owners of Tökösmál. The 1635 land registry provides a more accurate picture of the owners and this is the first time that the Rákóczi family is mentioned here. Following the failed Wesselényi Conspiracy the ownership structure underwent some serious changes. The first time the vineyard was mentioned in the form known today was in a document dating from 1686. After Rákóczi’s War of Independence the family estate was confiscated and awarded to noble families loyal to the Imperial Court. The majority of the vineyards belonging to the Rákóczi estate earlier came into the possession of the Szirmay family. According to the 1783 registry the vineyard holdings mostly belonged to noblemen, members of the elite of the castle district and wealthy citizens. From the later part of the 19th century large proportions of the vineyards in Tökösmál were owned by the prospering Jewish upper middle class. This ownership structure remained by and large intact until the nationalization after 1945.
The parent rock is coarse grained detritus of rhyolite tuff with a few traces of pleistocene sediment. The soil is brown forest soil with clay leachings. The aspect is mainly south-west, the mesoclimate is warmer than average however water retention is not particularly good.
Bohomáj
The origin of the name is still unclear; the most likely explanation seems to be the one connecting it to the wealthy Saxon Bochom/Boch family from Upper Hungary. The earliest written record dates from 1670 when it was listed as the vineyard of István Bocskai lord lieutenant. Because of his active involvement in the Wesselényi Conspiracy his estates were confiscated, so by the time of the 1679 registry Ferenc II. Rákóczi and Mihály I. Apafi Prince of Transylvania were the most important owners here. Following the defeat of Rákóczi’s War of Independence by the mid-eighteenth century the major vineyard holders in Bohomáj were the noble families of Máriássy and Szathmáry but the free royal city of Kassa was also among the owners.
