Moric Ried Kirchberg Lutzmannsburg Blaufrankisch 2021

Type: Red
Country: Austria
Region: Burgenland
Grape Variety: 100% Blaufrankisch

Climate: Hot, continental Pannonian climate
Terroir: Vines grow on a steeper northwest location with a very high lime content above the town of Kirchstetten. Age of vines are between 35 to 100 years old, with diverse genetics
Winemaking: Spontaneously fermented in open wooden vats with low proportions of 10 to 15 per cent. Then aged in old 500-liter barrels for two years. Only 600 bottles produced

Color: Deep dark red
Nose: Complex, with notes of dark berries, spices and a hint of minerality
Palate: Fresh and juicy, yet complex with a light tannin structure. Inviting palate with great potential, stylistically between great Burgundies, Piedmontese and Syrah from the northern Rhône

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.