Epic poetry again from Herr Velich of Moric
“Roland remains an innovator of the Burgenland and is a colour-bearer of the region’s most authentic expressions on planet wine,” wrote Wine Advocate‘s Stephan Reinhardt of his last visit to Moric. “If there was no Roland Velich, the Burgenland would not have been known as a potential world-class red wine region.”
Indeed, Roland remains Roland – totally unique, and enigmatic with it. To Reinhardt’s point on innovation, the wines we’ve shipped thus far this year are from Roland’s superb side project, Hidden Treasures. This has yielded various Hungarian white blends in collaboration with talented winemakers across the border, as well as a Blaufränkisch with CellarHand stablemate Hannes Schuster.
Now we have the latest wines from Roland’s own hand. These include the follow-up to the superb ’18 Hausmarke Weiss – a wine of great texture and vitality from a warm vintage – as well as the hotly anticipated regional Blaufränkisch. This latter is the estate’s calling card, and it remains an unmissable benchmark for the variety and the region.
2019 Moric Hausmarke Grüner Veltliner / Chardonnay $54
Blend of Grüner Veltliner (the largest portion) with Chardonnay and Riesling, these last two harvested together. Very slow pressing, but that’s the only skin contact. Partly fermented in stainless steel.
2018 Moric Burgenland Blaufränkisch $49
This wine has been produced from 8- to 50-year-old vines from soils of limestone, primary rock, and loam in Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg. The clarity of this wine is reinforced by its length and structure, which give it balance and ageing-potential. Harvested at a yield of 25 hectolitres per hectare, it is fermented with indigenous yeast over 17 to 21 days in stainless steel and open vats. Natural MLF and elevage in 600-4500 litre casks for 13 months. No fining, filtration or additives, except tiny quantities of sulfites. As a result, all Moric wines are vegan-friendly.
2016 Moric Reserve Blaufränkisch $89
This wine marries the great heritage of Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg, and embodies Moric’s concept of ‘reserve’ quality: selection in distinct vineyards with specific attributes regarding vine age, site and soil – just the best barrels coming out of these vineyards find their way into the Reserve blend. Mainly based on limestone origins, the elegance and distinctive spice of the Neckenmarkter component and the earthy floral aromas of Lutzmannsburg combine to show a unity of great structure and finesse.