Moric Hidden Treasures NR1 Tokaj Furmint 2019 / 2022

Type: White
Country: Hungary
Region: Tokaji
Grape Variety: 100% Furmint
Rating: 93 James Suckling Points

Climate: Hot, dry continental climate
Terroir: Vines grown on sand and limestone soil
Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation and matured in large wood

Color: Pale yellow with green reflections
Nose: Aroma of citrus fruits, flowers and the oils of the shell in a calm tone, along with oyster shell and subtle smoky notes in the overtone range
Palate: It opens the palate with a frivolously citrusy tip on the nose and continues through to the salty finish

About the Winery:
Roland Velich is the passionate winemaker behind an Austrian red touted to rival Grand Cru Burgundy. While Austria is better known for its whites, Roland had a fascination with the unusual red grape, Blaufränkisch. So he left his family’s estate and set up Weingut Moric (pronounced Moritz) in the lesser-known Mittelburgenland, which is close to the Hungarian Border around an hour’s drive from Vienna. Such was his determination, he paid for the estate using money that he’d saved working in a casino as a croupier. Roland now seeks out high-yielding, old-vine vineyards, and vinifies the grapes as simply as possible, looking to bring out Blaufränkisch’s inherently pure, elegant character.

As a self-professed Burgundy fan, his reds echo the finesse of Grand Cru Pinot Noir, and, rather than try to over-extract fruit flavours like some of his predecessors, Roland’s wines have a cool climate quality more commonly found in fine Nebbiolo or Northern Rhône Syrah. His top wine is a blend of eight different vineyard sites and includes some of the oldest vines that surround the village of Lutzmannsburg. These are unique reds which brilliantly echo their terroir.