Sankt Georgen "Aka Serious wine from a Gorgeous place" 2023

A dry Grüner Veltliner at 13.5% vol., built on tension rather than sheer weight. Young, it shows reductive and closed; a vigorous swirl in the decanter opens it up and reveals its complexity.

The grapes grow on small, old vineyard plots in Sankt Georgen near Eisenstadt in Burgenland, which Roland Velich farms specifically for this wine. In the glass, this shows as a distinct limestone note that holds the pale fruit together.

Grüner Veltliner, spontaneously fermented and aged in 500-litre casks, unfined and only lightly filtered. In the cellar, Velich deliberately holds back, just as he does with his biodynamically farmed vineyards in Burgenland.

Weightless elegance: pale, juicy fruit of quince, pear and yellow apple, joined by pale blossom and subtle herbs over chalky minerality. The fine phenolics and acidity are appetising, and the long, cool finish points to very good ageing potential.

Roland Velich, a ski instructor and croupier before founding Moric in 2001, made his name with ancient Blaufränkisch vines; Falstaff named him Winemaker of the Year in 2023. That he applies the same restraint to a white wine in Sankt Georgen makes this bottle an exception in the range. The tongue-in-cheek second name suits the wine perfectly: seriously meant, from a place that lives up to it. Already a pleasure on its own, with years still ahead of it.