The power of two is a theme in success: Larry Page had Sergey Brin, Elton John had Bernie Taupin, and Jerry Rice had Joe Montana (then Steve Young). If we titled this email “Schuster and Velich Collaborate!” we’d lose you (well, most of you). But, in the Austrian wine world, Roland Velich and Hannes Schuster are red wine MVPs. Today’s delicious aged red is a collaboration between them, and perhaps the most intriguing example of Blaufränkisch we’ve ever tasted.
For the most part, this grape delivers wines of immensely satisfying color and plump, dark fruit—but they don’t typically linger on the palate like this one. Where most Blaufränkisch is deeply satisfying, if a little straightforward and ‘short’ on the finish, this one challenges perceptions. As I tasted this wine, I was pulled in many different directions: One moment it was woodsy, Côte de Nuits Burgundy; the next it was Barolo with bottle age; and then it hinted at meaty Cornas. As is typical of Blaufränkisch, its color suggests a “bigger” wine than it actually is, but the big takeways with this wine are its aromatic complexity, silken texture, and palate persistence. To my mind, it’s a game-changing expression of this grape and its place of origin—Austria’s Burgenland. This is a paradigm-shifting red wine, simple as that!
Burgenland, southeast of Vienna, is the cradle of Austrian red wine, with sunny autumn days influenced by the vast wingspan of Lake Neusiedl. Soils roll from whitish chalk into grey slates and dense reddish loams, giving way to a rich kaleidoscope of red wine styles. The Rosi Schuster winery began in 1979, the year Hannes’ parents got married (his mother’s name is Rosi). Hannes joined his mother’s side in 2005, spearheading a move towards organic farming, and today the estate is 100% certified. Hannes produces exquisite, sought-after Sankt Laurent and Zweigelt, yet Blaufränkisch is the estate’s darling, coveting the oldest soils. Planted densely for horse-plowing in soils of clay/loam over limestone, Schuster’s special Blaufränkisch vines, averaging 55-100 years of age, reside on a hillside in the village of Zagersdorf, a few miles west of the lake. Each vine bears only a few clusters, severely reducing yields to unprecedented standards for a dry wine.
Roland Velich, meanwhile, is a fanatical dreamer. He erases the boxes of “traditional” and “modern” by making the most expressive wines from the humblest terroir. Unafraid of skeptics, he is making Austrian reds at Moric that deliver a memorable experience, not just a mouthful of dark fruit. So, when Hannes Schuster realized the potential of Zagersdorf’s deep-rooted vines, he called Velich. Roland is a Blaufränkisch guru, dedicated to the vines of Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg in the Middle Burgenland region. He is a die-hard ambassador of organic farming, meticulous sorting, natural yeasts, no fining, no filtration, minimal use of sulfur, and larger barrels. The Burgenland has been part of Austria for less than 100 years, tossed like a football between kingdoms, empires, and monarchies; it’s a maze of culture and viticulture. But Velich believes that Blaufränkisch was a constant, once one of the world’s greatest red wines, just forgotten by the mess of politics and boundaries. He longed admired the Blaufränkisch wines of the Schuster family, kindly jealous of their terroir, due north of his estate, in the ancient wine growing district of St. Margarethen (where fossils of grape seeds indicate wine was made here 3,000 years ago). At the end of the 20th century, local farmers, incentivized by the government to clear land, ripped out most of the old Blaufränkisch vines. Together, Schuster and Velich undertook three remaining hectares and restored an ancient lifeline with “Jagini.”
Hannes Schuster’s last name means “shoemaker.” It’s fitting that “Jagini” is the old, atypical term for the same word, a nod to a remarkable grape and its abandoned story. Harvested in several passes, grapes for Jagini were fermented in open-topped, Austrian and German oak vats (all used, and untoasted). And, in a move out of the Moric playbook, the wine was subjected to extended bottle age before it was released for sale—this 2011 is the current release!
Medium to dark garnet in the glass with flashes of rich scarlet and plum, the 2011 Jagini Blaufränkisch is fragrant with elderberry, blackberry, black currant, and red raspberry. There’s a familiar embrace of crushed rose petal, wood smoke, peppery spice, wet stones and crisp autumn leaves. Deeply concentrated without sacrificing a crumb of elegance or freshness, the texture is velvet-smooth with well-toned, graceful tannins. Decant the wine for 30 minutes before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems. It would effortless with the likes of grilled pork sausage or roasted Cornish hen. If it’s the latter, you can substitute your favorite herbs and spices with the efficient, time-saving recipe attached. Enjoy!
