About this WINE
Weingut Moric
While the Velich family have stuck faithfully to the traditional Austrian line of making white wines, Roland broke away in the ‘90s to create his own enterprise making reds from the Blaufränkisch variety.
The project was called ‘Blaufränkisch Unplugged’. Under the ‘Moric’ label, Roland released his first wine with the 2001 vintage, albeit only a couple of thousand bottles. The fruit is drawn from the relatively unknown (Mittel) Burgenland region, an hour’s drive due south-east of Vienna on the Hungarian border.
In fact this ancient Pannonian region only became part of Austria in 1921, hence why the Hungarian influence remains strong; the grape is called Kekfrankos across the border. Roland sets out to make tiny quantities of ‘terroir’ wines, allowing the grape to express the rich minerality of the mica slate, clay and limestone hills overlooking the Nieusiedlersee Lake; notably around the communes of Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg.
He does this through ruthless fruit selection from high density old vineyards, minimal intervention during vinification, and elevage in large oak…delivering a wine the combines the pleasure of Piemontese Nebbiolo and Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Blaufränkisch
The Blaufränkisch grape thrives on the clay and fossil rich soils of Burgenland in Austria. It reminds slightly of the Nebbiolos of Piedmont, with their grace and guile, and it is indeed a great alternative to Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, or Syrah.
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Description
Roland Velich is bringing the brilliant world of Blaufrankisch to life; Austria's finest black grape variety that seems to be a cross between Nebbiolo & Pinot Noir. Based just outside Eisenstadt, just to the west of Neusiedler-See lake in the Mittel Burgenland region, Roland has blended young vine fruit from the villages of Neckenmarkt, Lutzmannsburg and Zagersdorf to make this wine for early appreciation; it's a blend therefore of schist, loam, limestone and clay soils.
Macerated for circa. 3 weeks and aged in old 600 - 1700 austrian oak barrles, it's a medium/full bodied wine of relatively low alcohol (12.5%) that pings with fragrant raspberry leaf aromas; precise yet relaxed and elegant. Its weight of fruit, sapidity and cleansing acidity reminds me of the Langhe Nebbiolo wines; the scottish raspberry intensity and juiciness making it a great match for pork. Finely judged, very moreish. Drinking now but will improve over the next few years.
David Berry Green BBR Buyer
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