Bought a bottle of Wild Horse '14 Blaufrankisch Reserve at the winery last summer and had it with dinner tonight. Really liked it then and also did tonight. Nice fruit and very good overall tastexand mouthfeel.
I did some Goigling and the only other Blaufrankisch I could find available nearby wete Moric and Lenz Moser, both from Austri. The Moric is three times the price of the Lenz. Anyone have any experience with either, or a rec for something else?
The Moser is nice, just that. The Moric is world-class . As is the Rosi Schuster. SanktLaurent is very similar. Moric and Schuster world class. Forlorn-Hope very good. JedSteele does a nice one. Lots of them out there.
If you’d like to try another California Blaufränkisch, check out Solminer from Santa Ynez Valley.
Anyone have any experience with either, or a rec for something else?
Experience with both and quite a few others. It’s widely grown in Hungary and Austria, hardly grown in the US. There’s some in Michigan - Circa and Shady Lane are both OK, and there’s some grown in NY. I have not yet had any from CA so can’t say.
From Hungary, it depends on where it’s from. Those from the south are a little less peppery than those from the north. In Eger I found the best expression I’ve ever had. From Austria, it also depends. The basic Moric line is actually pretty good, but it’s pricey for what it is and as you go up, you wonder if you’re really getting more for your money. Wenninger has some that they do both on the Austrian side of the border and in Sopron. There are other producers in Sopron as well, but good luck finding them.
At its best, it shares some similarity with great Syrah - black pepper, tart cherry fruit, even a slightly meaty note. From cooler areas it’s not heavy at all, nor thick and inky in the glass. The more mediocre examples lack the pepper and spice and they’re just indiffferent wine.
Moric is excellent, but as people have said already, pricey. In particular his single vineyards, Lutzmannsburg and Neckenmarkter. The Reserve is also very good, but more reasonably priced.
Uwe Schiefer is another quality producer of Blaufraenkisch (thanks Tvrtko).
There are plenty of articles on Moric on the web and quite a few threads here.
Circa did produce a nice Blaufrankisch but unfortunately closed up shop a few years ago.
Yeah I just found that out recently. A retailer in Detroit told me he thought that’s what happened because he couldn’t get any more. A shame. It was actually a really good job and I paid full retail to support in my little way. Any clue what happened to their fruit?
In short:
Moric is a top producer … Lenz Moser is a negociant and quite commercial … (no bad, but a bit mean …)
Greg, I’ve wondered the same thing. No idea though.
Moric winegrower Roland Velich is a friend of mine;
here’s what he has to say about his work:
I would also recommend the Blaufrankisch from Johan Vineyards in the Willamette Valley. It’s a lovely wine, one of my favorite expressions of the grape.
Exactly my experience with a bottle of Kiona Lemberger last evening. I couldn’t finish a glass and into the beef stew it went. 
Moric is my favorite producer of this variety and I do not mind drinking the fairly priced entry-level version at all.
In Hungary they seem to make nice ones as well although I have found it to be a bit of a minefield, just like Hungarian reds in general, as there are a lot of producers going for the “international” style where alcohol, oak and ripeness can be through the roof. The following is not one of those fortunately. I have no idea of the availability and even in Budapest I had to contact the winery to be able to buy after getting my first taste in the fabulous Mák Bistro.
Posted from CellarTracker
Moric is special wine…I’d drink it regularly if it was easy to find and more affordable. Worth a splurge for their SVDs if you haven’t yet
one aspect i find compelling about Blaufränkisch is its stylistic evolution in Burgenland;
for example,
comparing the 2002 Prieler Goldberg with the 2012…
In Hungary they seem to make nice ones as well although I have found it to be a bit of a minefield, just like Hungarian reds in general, as there are a lot of producers going for the “international” style where alcohol, oak and ripeness can be through the roof. The following is not one of those fortunately. I have no idea of the availability and even in Budapest I had to contact the winery to be able to buy after getting my first taste in the fabulous Mák Bistro.
That is, or was, simply the best I’ve ever had from anywhere. The original owner no longer runs the winery though and I haven’t had it for a few years. He was dedicated to restoring the reputation of the wine, feeling that much as Chianti was more or less a joke in the 1970s, so Bikaver was in the 1990s. He redefined it. His BF, Zweigelt, and above all his Syrah, were stellar. Didn’t travel well though.
I concur with Marcus. I picked up some at last year’s BD when Dan threw a flash offer in.
Interesting! To me it seems that they are still on the right track. In addition to the Kékfrankos I have liked their Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon (medium-bodied, leafy and refreshing) and basic white blend Egri Csillag. Still have one bottle, a 2007 Egri Bikavér from the supposedly famed Nagy-Eged vineyard, waiting to be opened.
I would love to see how that 2007 turned out. I tasted it while in the barrel and it was great, but I’ve been told that the wines don’t age well. Honestly I don’t know since I’ve only had them young and the ones that I have that are older are actually barrel blends that are unlabeled. I have been waiting for the right person to drink them with and fear that they’re past.
But they had great vineyards and in the right hands, should make stellar wine. I’ve liked virtually everything I’ve ever had from them. There are other producers in the region, St. Andrea for example, and his wine is probably more technically correct, but I think GB was the best producer a few years ago. Need to visit again!
I’ll make sure to post a note. Quite interesting that when I contacted the winery about availability there was not a single shop in all of Budapest that sold their wines. Fortunately they were ok with me visiting their Kogart Ház restaurant on Andrássy út and buying a case there.