Home › Wine Notes › Patricius (Bodrogkisfalud, Tokaj)
Patricius, Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2016
White (dessert)Hungary2016
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-02-08 · Published 2026-09-20 · Updated 2026-09-20
At a glance
In one line
4.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.5 average · world avg price US$113 · Louis XIV is said to have called Tokaji "the wine of kings, the king of wines." The region had the world's first vineyard classification in 1720 and a royal charter fixing its borders in 1737.
No critic scores are listed on Vivino for this wine.
Market note: Patricius was named Hungary's "Winery of the Year" in 2016, and its holdings include several of Tokaj's historic first-growth (Grand Cru) vineyards.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“너무 좋은 디저트 와인. 첫 느낌은 베렌아우스레제 랑 똑같네. 좀 지나면 토카이는 좀 진한 느낌을 받았어요. 티라미수랑 굿 매칭.”
Show original
“honey marmalade apricot beeswax 넘 좋은 디져트 와인~ 첫느낌은 베렌아우스레제 랑 똑같네~ 좀지나면 토카이는 좀진한느낌을 받았어요. 티라미슈랑 굿 매칭~~^^”
What I learned today: for sweetness not to feel heavy, there has to be just as much acid.
Today at Bar Suda I was poured Patricius Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2016 in a small glass, deep gold. One breath, and a whole night came back: the first full moon of the lunar new year when I was twenty-one, the kitchen table. Honey, marmalade, apricot, and beeswax. Every aroma is clear; what I don't know is which bottle Father poured that night with the label covered. What I remember is that the moon outside was unusually large, and that a plate of tiramisu sat in the middle of the table. Father poured the small glasses and slid the first spoonful over to me.
Master Seo told me what the aromas say: the honey-led earth-and-honey group is what people who drink this bottle name most (106 times), followed by the citrus of marmalade and orange (87) and the stone fruit of apricot and pear (83). Sweetness 5.0/5 and acidity 4.9, so it is very sweet yet not heavy. The sweetness comes from noble rot: only the shrivelled 'aszú berries' are picked by hand, crushed, and added to a base wine. Then the story. In 1720 János Matolai ranked Tokaj's vineyards, the world's first vineyard classification. Louis XIV is said to have called it 'the wine of kings, the king of wines'.
Father wrote: "Good match with tiramisu." (translated: Haru) Probably he had bought that tiramisu for this glass ahead of time.
What I learned today: for sweetness not to feel heavy, there has to be just as much acid.
What this wine is
Tokaj is a small volcanic hill region in northeastern Hungary, but it was one of the first wine regions European royalty ever coveted. When Aszú wine's fame spread across Europe in the late 17th century, Prince Francis II Rákóczi asked for the vineyards around Tokaj's 28 villages to be ranked by quality, and in 1720 János Matolai completed a classification based on terroir and quality — the world's first vineyard classification of its kind. A 1737 royal charter then formally fixed the region's borders, which is why Tokaj is often described today as having had the world's first appellation-of-origin protection system. Two independent sources agree on the story that Louis XIV, after tasting an Aszú sent by Rákóczi, had the phrase "Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum" ("the wine of kings, the king of wines") placed on the menu card at a feast in Versailles.
Aszú's sweetness comes from noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). Tokaj's foggy late-autumn climate is ideal for the fungus to take hold on the grapes, and only the shriveled, botrytized berries — the "Aszú berries" — are hand-picked and crushed separately. How much of that paste gets folded back into the base wine determines the final sweetness: traditionally it was measured by the number of 20-liter wooden tubs (puttony) of paste added, so a higher "puttonyos" number means a sweeter wine.
Patricius is the Kékessy family's estate in Bodrogkisfalud, Tokaj — 68.5 hectares that include six of the region's historic first-growth vineyards. The winery itself occupies a converted press house that once belonged to local nobility and appears in the 1867 Tokaj-Hegyalja Album; it's since been modernized with a gravity-flow system layered onto the original structure. The estate's own history page doesn't state an exact founding year, but the phrase "nearly two decades of experience" and its 2016 Hungarian "Winery of the Year" award suggest a founding around 2000 — worth flagging as an estimate, not a confirmed date.
What the world says
This 2016 vintage has been rated by 294 people on Vivino, averaging 4.5 — exactly matching the Patricius Aszú 6 Puttonyos label overall (1,391 ratings). No critic scores are listed.
The flavor keywords lead with the earthy honey-and-mushroom group (106 mentions), followed by marmalade and orange peel (87) and apricot and pear (83). Structure: sweetness 5.0/5 and acidity 4.9 — both near the maximum — with an extreme sweetness matched by an equally extreme acidity. Intensity sits in the middle, at 3.0.
"The sweetness of caramel and honey is balanced with the zest of orange and apricot. A really enticing level of acidity and a smooth-as-silk finish." — Vivino review, Aug 2022, 4.8 stars
"A Tokaj powerhouse. Has it all: depth, intensity and length. Nose of honey, apricot, orange, raisin and almond." — Vivino review, Aug 2025, 4.5 stars
The drinking window runs 2018–2031, and I drank mine in February 2020, not long after that window opened.
How I drank it
8 February 2020, 4.0 stars. "Honey, marmalade, apricot, beeswax. Such a good dessert wine~ My first impression was that it tasted exactly like a Beerenauslese~ But after a bit, I noticed Tokaji felt richer, more concentrated. Great match with tiramisu~~^^" What's interesting is that I first reached for a German Beerenauslese comparison, then walked it back once I noticed the difference — both are botrytized wines, but Beerenauslese (Riesling-based) leans on acidity while Aszú (Furmint- and Hárslevelű-based) leans on honeyed concentration. Without meaning to, I'd landed on exactly the right distinction.
This site already has notes on three other botrytized dessert wines: Kracher Noble Reserve TBA (4.0), Leonard Kreusch Beerenauslese 2014 (4.5) and Château d'Yquem 2008 (4.0). This Patricius, at 4.0, sits in the same band as the Kracher and the Yquem. That's half a point below the community average of 4.5, but my note carries no real complaint — if anything, I called it "such a good dessert wine." Given how specifically I called out the tiramisu pairing, the 4.0 that night likely reflected a relative comparison against the other dessert wines on the table more than any flaw in the wine itself.
Where this wine shows up
Louis XIV, after tasting an Aszú sent by Prince Francis II Rákóczi, is said to have called it "Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum" — the wine of kings, the king of wines. Tokaj is often credited as having the world's first appellation protection system, from János Matolai's 1720 vineyard classification and the 1737 royal charter that fixed the region's borders.
This Day in Wine History — The Story of Tokaji, the Wine of Kings · Wines of Tokaj official — History
From Sauternes botrytis wines to a Canadian icewine and a Hungarian Tokaji, six dessert wines noted on this magazine compared by my score, Vivino average and Wine-Searcher world average — plus a plain look at what makes botrytis wine, icewine and Moscato sweet in different ways.
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2016 vintage rating distribution (294 ratings, average 4.5)
| 5★ | 53 (18%) | |
| 4★ | 231 (79%) | |
| 3★ | 8 (3%) | |
| 2★ | 1 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 1 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Earth & honey | 106 | honey 85 · mushroom 7 · ginger 6 · minerals 2 · smoke 2 |
| Citrus | 87 | marmalade 35 · orange 19 · citrus 14 · orange peel 13 · lemon 3 |
| Stone fruit & apple | 83 | apricot 34 · pear 17 · peach 9 · quince 8 · apple 7 |
| Dried fruit | 40 | raisin 18 · dried apricot 13 · dried fruit 3 · fig 3 · dried mango 2 |
| Bread & nuts (non-oak) | 32 | almond 14 · walnut 5 · hazelnut 3 · nutty 2 · biscuit 1 |
| Oak | 27 | caramel 18 · clove 2 · coconut 2 · vanilla 2 · nutmeg 1 |
| Tropical fruit | 21 | mango 7 · pineapple 7 · tropical 4 · guava 3 |
Structure: Acidity 4.9/5 · Intensity 3.0/5 · Sweetness 5.0/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 1391 ratings, average 4.5)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4.2 | 120 |
| 2018 | 4.4 | 36 |
| 2017 | 4.5 | 148 |
| 2016 | 4.5 | 294 |
| 2008 | 4.6 | 141 |
| 2007 | 4.4 | 175 |
| 2006 | 4.3 | 54 |
| 2003 | 4.4 | 128 |
| 2000 | 4.7 | 129 |
Other wines Father scored 4.0 →
Read next
Swipe for more →
Same producerOremus Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2000
Hungary · Tokaj★★★★☆
Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
United States · Napa★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherChâteau La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996
France · Rhône★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherChâteau La Lagune Haut-Médoc 1970
France · Bordeaux★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherEgly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 'Les Crayères' Ambonnay
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherLucien Le Moine Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Hauts Doix 2016
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherDomaine Coche-Dury Meursault 2013
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherChâteau Coutet, Barsac Premier Grand Cru Classé 2015
France · Bordeaux★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherMollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2018
Australia · South Australia★★★★★
StorySix dessert wines compared — from d'Yquem to Tokaji
More from Tokaj, Hungary
Swipe for more →
Explore
Bottles Father gave five stars
Only the wines Father scored a perfect 5
→
Wines in manga, film and history
Bottles that show up in manga, film and history
→
Wines you can buy at the supermarket
Wines actually bought at the supermarket
→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Patricius Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2016?
A botrytized dessert wine from the Kékessy family's estate in Bodrogkisfalud, Tokaj, Hungary, blending Furmint and Hárslevelű at 11.5% ABV. Vivino: 294 ratings averaging 4.5, with no listed critic scores.
How much does it cost?
US$113 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026) (Wine-Searcher).
What food pairs well with it?
Vivino users suggest sweet desserts and blue cheese. With sweetness at 5.0/5, it also works beautifully with creamy desserts like tiramisu — which is exactly the pairing in my own note.
What does "6 Puttonyos" mean?
It's the traditional measure of how much botrytized "Aszú" paste went into the base wine. Historically, that paste was counted in 20-liter wooden tubs (puttony); the more tubs folded in, the sweeter and more concentrated the wine (typically 3 to 6 Puttonyos). Six Puttonyos sits at the richer end of the Aszú scale.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Patricius official — Estate History
- This Day in Wine History — The Story of Tokaji, the Wine of Kings
- Wines of Tokaj official — History
- Rolling in Budapest — Winery of the Year 2016: Patricius Winery
Read next
Swipe for more →
Same producerOremus Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2000
Hungary · Tokaj★★★★☆Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
France · Champagne★★★★★Highly rated by FatherLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
France · Champagne★★★★★Highly rated by FatherMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★Highly rated by FatherClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
United States · Napa★★★★★Highly rated by FatherChâteau La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996
France · Rhône★★★★★Story