2021 Hidden Treasures by Moric, No. 3 “Balaton” White Blend

The Pannonian Basin knows nothing of modern borders. This ancient seabed stretches from Austria through Hungary into Slovenia and Croatia, creating one of Europe's most distinctive wine regions. Until 1920, Roland Velich's family vineyards in Burgenland were actually in Hungary—a fact that explains why he's obsessed with reuniting these artificially separated wine cultures. Hidden Treasures is Velich’s project to spotlight brilliant Hungarian vignerons who share his philosophy: indigenous grapes, native yeasts, minimal intervention, maximum terroir. Each release is numbered by region. No. 1 was Tokaj. No. 2 was Somló. This No. 3 comes from Lake Balaton, Central Europe's largest lake and one of its most unique terroirs. The winemaker is Philipp Oser, a Swiss transplant who founded Villa Tolnay in 2004. His vineyards climb Csobánc hill—the remains of a volcanic mountain now surrounded by sedimentary deposits from the prehistoric Pannonian Sea. The basalt soils here are so unforgiving, th