Moric Reserve 2014

The Moric Reserve 2014 is a mature Blaufränkisch from Burgenland that draws its depth not from fruit, but from spice, herbs, and sense of place. After more than a decade, it is drinking beautifully: calm, grown-up, multi-layered, yet possessed of a tension that shows no signs of mellowing with age.

Roland Velich farms 22.5 hectares of vineyards in Burgenland. In Lutzmannsburg, the vines are rooted in a prehistoric volcano whose iron-rich soils lend the Blaufränkisch its distinct minerality. The individual sites differ significantly: the steep, limestone-rich Kirchberg, alongside Schwemmer and the clay-heavy Maissner plateau. Many of the vines are between 50 and 110 years old, yielding minuscule quantities.

Single-varietal Blaufränkisch, also known as Lemberger. The grapes ferment spontaneously in open wooden vats, undergo a 22-day maceration, and then mature for 20 months on the fine lees in large, neutral oak casks. Neither fined nor filtered, from biodynamically farmed vineyards. 13.0% ABV, dry.

The entry is juicy and grippy, led by herbal and green notes before crisp beetroot and intense sour cherry follow through, appearing even more pronounced here than on the nose. The cool character of the vintage reveals itself in a lively acidity; savoury, meaty nuances provide substance without adding weight. The refined astringency carries the wine into a long finish.

Braised beef cheek, haunch of venison or roast wild boar, Tafelspitz, and mature mountain cheese.

Roland Velich forged his own path with Moric in 2001. Falstaff named him Winemaker of the Year in 2023. Through the Jagini project, he preserved the last remaining old Blaufränkisch vines in Zagersdorf.