Sankt Georgen "Aka Serious wine from a Gorgeous place" 2023
A Burgundian-inspired Grüner Veltliner from Burgenland, crafted by winemaking legend Roland Velich, who captures cool elegance and depth in the bottle from old vines near Eisenstadt.
Bottler: Winery Moric, Kirchengasse 3, A-7051 Großhöflein / Austria
In the glass
Colour
Bright pale golden yellow with delicate green reflections.
Nose
Bright fruit of quince, pear and yellow apple, accompanied by floral notes, subtle herbs and pronounced limestone; opens up to great complexity when decanted.
Palate
Ethereal elegance with juicy bright fruit, chalky minerality, fine phenolics and vibrant acidity; long, appetising finish.
Character
A complex, Burgundian-style white wine favouring finesse over opulence – still reserved in its youth, with excellent ageing potential.
Pairing
Refined dishes with elegance, such as pan-fried pike-perch, Wiener Schnitzel of veal or light poultry in a herb cream sauce.
Notes
Sourced from small, old Veltliner parcels in Sankt Georgen, spontaneously fermented and aged in 500-litre casks, unfined and only minimally filtered – a “cult wine” from Austria’s Falstaff Winemaker of the Year 2023.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Radiant pale golden yellow with delicate green reflections – clear and vibrant in the glass.
Nose
Still reserved and reductive in its youth – a vigorous swirl in the carafe is well worth it. Then a fascinating interplay of quince, pear and yellow apple unfolds, accompanied by white blossoms, subtle herbs and a pronounced limestone minerality that lends the wine its Burgundian-esque structure.
Palate
Ethereal elegance rather than opulent richness: bright, juicy fruit meets chalky depth. The fine phenolics and vibrant acidity create tension and leave you craving the next sip. A white wine of remarkable finesse that marries structure with lightness.
Finish
Long, cool and distinctly mineral – the persistent aftertaste points to very good ageing potential.
Terroir & origin
The grapes come from small, old vineyard sites in Sankt Georgen near Eisenstadt in Burgenland. Here, on Austria’s eastern edge, Roland Velich – otherwise world-renowned as a Blaufränkisch pioneer – devotes himself to Grüner Veltliner with the same meticulousness that earned him the title of Falstaff Winemaker of the Year in 2023.
Grape variety & vinification
Grüner Veltliner, spontaneously fermented and aged in 500-litre casks, unfined and only minimally filtered – Velich’s deliberately restrained hand in the cellar, allowing the site to speak for itself.
Food recommendations
Calls for cuisine of equal finesse: steamed pike-perch with herb butter, Wiener Schnitzel of veal, roasted cauliflower or goat’s cheese with a touch of spice.
Special notes
That of all people Roland Velich – the man who, with his ancient Blaufränkisch vines from Lutzmannsburg and Neckenmarkt, produced Austria’s first 95-point red wine (Parker) and was ranked among the top nine wineries worldwide by James Suckling – should now present a Grüner Veltliner of such calibre is nothing short of a sensation. The tongue-in-cheek name “Serious wine from a Gorgeous place” hits the nail on the head: a serious wine from a magnificent site – already a sheer delight on its own today, best enjoyed with a carafe as its closest companion and several years of evolution ahead in the cellar.
