Ried Zieregg IZ Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 10 to 25 years from the vintage release, possessing an incredibly long life ahead.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Roasted turbot, pan-seared sweetbreads, aged hard cheeses
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The 'IZ' in this legendary bottling stands for 'Interzelluläre Gärung' (intracellular fermentation), representing one of the most daring and patient winemaking experiments in Austria. For this avant-garde reserve, Armin and Stefan Tement hand-select individual, perfectly intact berries from the limestone-rich, steep parcels of the grand cru Ried Zieregg. These berries undergo a slow, spontaneous intracellular fermentation inside neutral oak casks, followed by an extraordinary aging period of up to 100 months or more on the full lees without any sulfur additions until bottling. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc of monumental complexity, combining the intense, salty, coralline limestone minerality of the Zieregg terroir with a deeply textured, multi-layered palate of dried wild herbs, preserved lemon, and smoky reduction.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Established in 1959 in the picturesque hills of Southern Styria, Austria, Weingut Tement is a family-run estate globally renowned for defining the modern standard of Austrian Sauvignon Blanc. Now managed by the third generation, Armin and Stefan Tement, the winery is situated on the steep, limestone-rich slopes of the legendary Zieregg vineyard. Operating under strict biodynamic principles, the estate focuses on minimal intervention, spontaneous fermentation, and extended lees aging in neutral oak casks to preserve the intense minerality of their terroir. Their signature single-vineyard wines, particularly the iconic Ried Zieregg Sauvignon Blanc and Ried Grassnitzberg, showcase an unparalleled tension and longevity that have cemented Tement's reputation as one of Austria's premier wine estates.