Moric "Super Natural" Hausmarke, Burgenland, Austria 2023

FROM WINEMONGER:

THE WINE: When Moric magically produces a highly seductive crisp and complex blend of mostly Gruner Veltliner and some Chardonnay we are not surprised. Here seemingly simple ingredients and techniques produce wines that are a far cry from stereotypical fruit-forward expressions, wines that touch a nerve. His Hausmarke ("House Wine") comes across as the quintessential understatement: a highly complex and satisfying white, fresh and lively with hard-to-pin-down notes of citrus and fennel, apparently the entry-level wine at the Moric estate. Unfortunately, the annual availability of this wine is always short-lived. This wine ages beautifully and we recommend putting a few bottles away for the long haul.

THE PRODUCER: Roland Velich is no longer working with his brother Heinz at the family estate in Apetlon, but is pursuing his own dream, working with old vines in the heart of “Blaufrankisch country” – Mittelburgenland, specifically Lutzmannsburg and Neckenmarkt. His are wines in a style you will not encounter anywhere else in Austria: Blaufrankisch vinified as if it were Grand Cru Burgundy, and from hillsides (including terraces) and pre-clonal vines the like of which you will not find being cultivated in most of Mittelburgenland. One sip is an Oz experience (and I don’t mean Aussie, mates!). From his dreams to his vines, to his vinification, to his retro label, Velich is in a world of his own.