Ried Grassnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared Arctic char with lemon-herb butter, roasted goat cheese salad with fresh herbs, or grilled asparagus with poached egg.
✨ Technical Specifications
Perched on south- and southeast-facing slopes featuring weathered coralline limestone, sandy loam, and clay marl, Ried Grassnitzberg yields a taut and mineral-driven expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The steep terraces experience significant diurnal temperature swings, preserving keen natural acidity while encouraging physiological ripeness. Harvested by hand from biodynamically tended parcels, the grapes undergo spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts followed by prolonged aging on the fine lees in large neutral oak casks. Bottled without fining or excessive filtration, the wine reflects its site with pronounced tension, saline depth, and herbaceous focus.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1959 by Josef and Edina Tement, Weingut Tement rose to global acclaim under Manfred Tement, who transformed the family's modest holdings into an international benchmark for Austrian viticulture. Perched atop the rugged limestone ridge of Ried Zieregg along the border of Slovenia in Südsteiermark, the estate commands precipitous slopes composed of coralline limestone, marl, and schist. Today directed by Manfred alongside sons Armin and Stefan, the domaine converted fully to biodynamics, earning Demeter and respekt-BIODYN certifications. Cellar philosophy hinges on unhurried, low-intervention vinification, spontaneous native-yeast fermentations, neutral oak casks, and prolonged maturation on fine lees without fining or unnecessary filtration. The estate's benchmark bottlings—most notably Ried Zieregg Sauvignon Blanc, Ried Zieregg IZ Reserve, and site-driven expressions of Morillon and Weissburgunder—display tension, saline minerality, structural depth, and profound aging potential.
🍇 Grapes
Sauvignon Blanc
🍷 ABV
12.5% - 13.5%