I’ve read snippets about the winery over the years, so I took a flyer on 3/4 case (mostly Sauvignon Blanc but a couple Chardonnay) Does anybody have any impressions or knowledge here?
For a large winery why is there basically no U.S. presence?
I’ll be of very little help here (but apparently this is not preventing me from posting…) but I only had the Ciringa Sauvignon Blanc and only once. This seems to be the only one available here from Weingut Tement. So it appears that it is not widely distributed in Quebec either. I liked it but found it a little expensive for what it is (27$). Tasting note in French here: 2016 Tement Sauvignon Blanc Domaine Ciringa Fosilni Breg, Slovenia, Podravje, Štajerska - CellarTracker
The Ciringa is from the Slovenian side of the border, I believe. Most of the bottlings are from South Styria/Südsteiermark. I have not had any Tement, though I really like Polz, which shares some of the same vineyards. I think the availability issue in the U.S. comes down to the difficulty of selling Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from Austria in the U.S. Chard and SB drinkers aren’t looking for Austrian wine and Austrian wine afficionados, at least in the States, are looking to drink Riesling and Grüner Veltliner for their whites. So the whole region with its focus on SB and to a lesser extend Chardonnay (known locally as Morillon) is a tough sell abroad, though Tement is certainly renowned in Austria and beyond.
I’ve only drank one of their wines…the 2017 Tement Sauvignon Blanc Grosse Lage STK Zieregg. Based on that singular wine…I went heavy & bought 18 bottles across 5 different wines from them. The only comparison I have for the one wine I did have was Didier Dagueneau; the father not the son. It was such a singular wine that I just can’t wait to try more of their wines.
I had the 2018 basic Südsteiermark Sauvignon Blanc and really enjoyed it. Haven’t had the Grassnitzberg single vineyard SB bottling since the 2006 vintage but was impressed back then. Just one of those wines I think to buy but then rarely do.
Interesting, Thanks for the input.
The SB that was offered (maybe you saw it) were
2017 Tement Grassnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc 1-STK
2016 Tement Ried Zieregg Sauvignon Blanc G-STK
Really looking forward to giving them a go.
I didn’t see the offer, but Ried. Zieregg is their top site and top bottling.
Isn’t the IZ the top bottling? I translated the winery website page but still really couldn’t figure out why though.
You’re correct. Zieregg is the top site. The IZ is a intracellular fermentation that spends over 4 and half years on the lees. I had to do a bit of searching, but I found the tech sheet for themes recent release (2015) here: https://www.tement.at/files/pdf/datenblaetter/Datenblatt_IZ%20SB_15_EN.pdf
(I have to admit I did not know of this bottling, only the regular Zieregg. It seems quite limited.
Intracellular fermentation? Sounds like a combination of Südsteiermark with Beaujolais Nouveau! Sounds very interesting, I’m intrigued.
I really like the Tement Sauvignon Blancs and Muskatellers (i.e. Muscat), more so than their Pinot varieties (Morillon, i.e. Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc). The Ried Zieregg Sauvignon Blanc is an absolute classic and up there with the other top Styrian producers. Stylistically, in my view it’s quite aromatic and has the structure of a white Pessac-Léognan, but without any new small oak influence. I’ve only had the Zieregg IZ once and it was mindblowing, one of the best Sauvignon Blancs I’ve had. The technique is sort of similar to that of a mac carb red wine, except that the intracellular fermentation is carried out for a way longer time than in Beaujolais.
I know. I didn’t believe it till I read it on their tech sheet, either. It does sound intriguing, especially with StevenB’s mention of the IZ as one of the best SB’s he’s ever had.
I’m a big fan of Tement’s wines and buy the SB classic, Grassnitzberg, and Zieregg every year… All three are great examples of their respective “class”.
Interesting note on the IZ. I have a single bottle in my cellar, but never tried it. FWIW, Ewald Zweytick, another great producer that’s hard to find in the US, makes his flagship wine (Heaven’s Door) using the same method. Can be mind-blowing stuff!
Their wines just landed today…so I’ll be checking out one of the 2017 STK Graßnitzberg in the next few weeks to see if it’s as profound as the other bottles I had of the 2017 STK Zieregg. I’m really looking forward to trying their Morillon.