Is Blaufränkisch the New Grand Cru Burgundy?

Pre-order from one of the most lauded wineries in Austria: Moric!

Pre-Order from one of our favourite Austrian producers:

Roland Velich’s exquisite Blaufränkisch and Grüner Veltliner bottlings put Burgenland on the map as one of the world’s greatest wine regions.

Blaufränkisch: a love story

Roland Velich farms 60 acres spread across several special sites around Austria's Burgenland region. He started the Moric project in the early 2000s with the single-minded intention to elevate the status of Blaufränkisch. Velich's family was already known for fine white wines (mostly oaked Chardonnays) from the Mittelburgenland, however Roland was influenced by the great red wines of the world (mostly in Burgundy and Piedmont) and was convinced of the potential of Blaufränkisch. He wanted to produce age-worthy, "serious" expressions. His approach is to find ancient vines and adhere to meticulous biodynamic viticulture, obsessive sorting, and fairly primitive winemaking techniques that closely resembles the ways of top-tier Burgundy.

Lutzmannsburg

His two most impressive sites, which he uses for single vineyard bottlings, are the Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg vineyards. Lutzmannsburg (offered below!) is a warm, flat plain with 100+ year-old vines (so closely packed together that they struggle to survive) producing complex, age-worthy wines.

Farming and Fermenting

Velich farms organically without herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers. However, he refuses to both apply for certification or to put anything about it on his labels.

“In the 25 years I’ve been making wine I have never used commercial yeasts. I use very little sulfur, and never fine anything. I think fining destroys a lot in a wine, especially in white wines," explains Velich.

He ferments his whites partially in steel and partially in oak and ferments and ages his reds in old oak casks, allowing them to take their time going through their secondary (malolactic) fermentations for sometimes more than a year. In recent years, Roland has also been working on a "Hidden Treasures" series, highlighting the work of lesser-known winegrowers and grape varieties in the area.

Critical Acclaim

"I absolutely flipped for Moric back in my restaurant days, as did everyone I ever poured the wines for. And, when it came to impressing other sommeliers, I could always count on Moric’s Blaufränkisch. As detailed in a well-written post by blogger Alder Yarrow, Roland Velich has become an internationally recognized wine celebrity for his work with old-vine Blaufränkish in Austria’s Burgenland DAC. His assortment of reds, including several single-vineyard bottlings of the variety, are widely considered to be the Gold Standard in the zone. Sommeliers are all about benchmarks, and as I continue to explore not just Burgenland Blaufränkisch but the wider world of Germanic reds, I measure new discoveries against what Velich produces from his 25 hectares of vines in the villages of Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg. His are reference-point wines, plain and simple." Ian Cauble, MS

Full Offer Available for Pre-Order Today

Arriving this Winter!

2021 Hausmarke Weiss - $44.95/btl + hst (12pk)

2020 Hidden Treasures No. 2 Somlo - $49.95/btl + hst (6pk)

2020 Hidden Treasures No.1 Tokaj, Fumint - $52.95/btl + hst (6pk)

2020 Ried Krainer Sankt Georgen Grüner Veltliner - $127.95/btl + hst (6pk)

NV Hausmarke Rot - $34.95/btl + hst (12pk)

2020 Blaufränkisch Burgenland - $37.95/btl + hst (12pk)

2019 Moric Reserve Blaufränkisch - $75.95/btl + hst (6pk)

2019 Ried Schwemmer Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch - $111.95/btl (6pk)

2019 Ried Maissner Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch - $134.95/btl (6pk)

2012 Ried Krcsi Zagersdorf Blaufränkisch - $146.95/btl (6pk)

2019 Lutzmannsburg Alte Reben Blaufränkisch - $170.95/btl (6pk)

2021 Hausmarke Weiss

85% Gruner Veltliner, 15% Chardonnay

A savoury, fleshy 'house white' from Moric. "A dazzling blend of Grüner Veltliner and Chardonnay, and it drinks as if a fine, mineral-chiseled Premier Cru Chablis was secretly infused into a richly layered and wildly energetic Grüner Smaragd." - Ian Cable, MS

*23cs available

$44.95/btl + hst (12pk)

2020 Hidden Treasures No. 2 Somlo

A blend of Furmint (80%), Hárslevelű and Olaszrizling.

A collaboration between Weingut Moric and Tamás Kis that highlights the work of lesser-known winegrowers and grape varieties. The NR.2 cuvée comes from the western part of Hungary, not far from the Austrian border.

*9cs available

$49.95/btl + hst (6pk)

2020 Hidden Treasures No.1

A blend of Tokaji and Furmint

A collaboration between Roland Velich and Attila Homonna, whose estate is in Hungary's famed Tokaji region and has some of the oldest known Furmint and Hárslevelű vineyards. Dry, but texturally silky with a spicy backbone of citrus pith and white gumdrop. Perfect for immediate enjoyment but with the potential to last many years.

*9cs available

$52.95/btl + hst (6pk)

2020 Ried Krainer Sankt Georgen

100% Grüner Veltliner

Roland Velich's wine from Sankt Georgen (which can now be called that again--after a long time it was only called "Serious Wine from a Georgeous Place" due to its "atypical" taste) has become a cult white wine in Burgenland and a real brand. A grandiose, exciting and powerful wine, typically full of structure, but always on the elegant side.

*9cs available

$127.95/btl + hst (6pk)

NV Hausmarke Rot

A "house" blend (if you live inside a three-star restaurant) of mostly Zweigelt with Saint Laurent & Pinot Noir

Pure yet ripe with beautiful spicy and floral notes. Silky-textured, juicy with great acidity and length. 90pts Wine & Spirits Magazine

$34.95/btl + hst (12pk)

2020 Blaufränkisch Burgenland

"Light-medium body, with an elegance and finesse that I was unaccustomed to, but had been told Blaufränkisch was capable of...John McIlwain, esteemed colleague and wine collector, has confirmed that it was in fact the "village" Blaufränkisch. This speaks volumes to the level of care and commitment that Velich has for producing high quality wines across the board." Eben Lillie, Chamber St Wines

$37.95/btl + hst (12pk)

2019 Moric Reserve Blaufränkisch

“It’s not enough for Moric to be the premier producer of Blaufränkisch—wines like this take Blaufränkisch to a new level of international importance.” - David Lynch

"Tobacco and herbal spices are underpinned with blackberry fruit, hints of sour cherry, juniper berry and liquorice; a multi-faceted bouquet. Substantial, dark cherry fruit, fine, well-integrated tannins, fresh acidity, salty mineral touch, very good length, fine sweetness; a lively style with good ageing potential." 94pts Falstaff

*23cs available

$75.95/btl + hst (6pk)

2019 Ried Schwemmer Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch

Made from components of eight different sites, this is the pinnacle of Roland’s production. Beguiling but slightly shy nose--there’s floral elements and then lots of spice with star anise and five spice. The palate is super silky, with incredible volume and powdery tannins that develop with each sip. On the finish, there's a breadth of flavour, but still needs a bit of time. Incredible length that comes in waves. Enjoy over the next 5-10 years.

*3cs available

$111.95/btl (6pk)

2019 Ried Maissner Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch

"Intense ruby with narrow purple rim. Delicate, savoury black cherries, a touch of liquorice, tobacco nuances, a little nougat and blueberry. Taut, tightly meshed, peppery savouriness, racy structure, fresh and persistent, salty finish, a dash of Darjeeling tea on the back palate. Enjoy over the next 5-10 years." 97pts Falstaff

*9cs available

$134.95/btl (6pk)

2012 Ried Krcsi Zagersdorf Blaufränkisch

"This belongs alongside your finest European reds.” Ian Cable, MS

A vibrant, opaque garnet hue reveals itself in a Burgundy stem and with just a few swirls, seductive fragrances roll out: ripe black plum, elderberry liqueur, black raspberry, dewy strawberries, and currant. But that’s just the fruit—it’s also loaded with damp rose petal, pepper, wet stones, smoked soy sauce, and leather. Deeply concentrated and dark-fruited without sacrificing a crumb of elegance or freshness, the texture is velvet-smooth with well-toned, graceful tannins. Every glass introduces chameleonic nuances that will have you bouncing from Pinot to Syrah to Nebbiolo—yet it never once loses its proud Austrian identity. Enjoy over the next 5-10 years.

*8cs available

$146.95/btl (6pk)

2019 Lutzmannsburg Alte Reben Blaufränkisch

Heiner Lobenberg: "Seductive and rich, at the same time cool and elegant. Very inviting aromas, slightly oxidative in the spiciness, tobacco, cigar box, black tea, liquorice. A nose that can hardly be put into words. You have to feel this depth. You can no longer strive for comparisons here, this is simply completely independent Burgenland, this is Blaufränkisch, which tells the history of the region. You have to get your palate ready for this tremendous minerality, elegance and uncompromising individuality. The fruit is dark, juicy and endless. The acid builds a framework that withstands the fruit. And always new nuances. Insanity. This wine could be, and probably is, the best blueprint for dense, elegant Blaufränkisch with corners and edges and idiosyncratic elegance. 100/100"

& 99pts!!!! James Suckling

*9cs available

$170.95/btl (6pk)