Ried Zieregg Essenz Sauvignon Blanc TBA
⏳ Drinking Window
2020 - 2045
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roquefort or Stilton blue cheese, classic duck liver terrine with brioche, apricot tart tatin.
✨ Technical Specifications
Perched on the steep, south-facing slopes of Ried Zieregg along the Slovenian border, this Trockenbeerenauslese relies on limestone-rich coralline marl formations known locally as Opok. Exceptional microclimatic conditions, marked by autumnal morning mists and warm afternoon ventilation, foster optimal Noble Rot (Botrytis cinerea) on late-harvested Sauvignon Blanc berries. Harvested via painstaking manual berry-by-berry passes at extraordinarily high sugar must weights, the intensely concentrated juice undergoes very slow, spontaneous fermentation in small neutral oak vessels. The wine matures on its fine lees over extended periods, locking in high residual sugar against a fierce spine of natural acidity and mineral salinity.
🍾 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
8.5%