2008 Sauvignon Blanc IZ Zieregg Grosse Lage

“Until 2007, we would often go through the vineyards as many as five times to harvest only the ripest fruit,” explained Armin Tement as we were tasting the 2013s. “Is riper always better? My goal is to have them so well tended that we need to pick only once.” That is just one of the many little changes that he has made since returning to the family estate in 2005. The most noticeable improvements have to do with reining in the excesses. Today, for example, there are few small barrels left in the cellar. Most of the wines are now fermented and matured in various sizes of larger ovals. He is also diminishing his use of sulfur, bottling later, and only releasing some of the finest wines two years or more after harvest.

Armin's father Manfred was a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. Now 55, he spends most of his time in the vineyards and allows his son to take the lead. For many consumers this estate remains the undisputed icon of Styria. With over 100 hectares of vineyards, they are also a major player in the region, consistently making many of its finest wines.

“Until 2007, we would often go through the vineyards as many as five times to harvest only the ripest fruit,” explained Armin Tement as we were tasting the 2013s. “Is riper always better? My goal is to have them so well tended that we need to pick only once.” That is just one of the many little changes that he has made since returning to the family estate in 2005. The most noticeable improvements have to do with reining in the excesses. Today, for example, there are few small barrels left in the cellar. Most of the wines are now fermented and matured in various sizes of larger ovals. He is also diminishing his use of sulfur, bottling later, and only releasing some of the finest wines two years or more after harvest.

Armin's father Manfred was a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. Now 55, he spends most of his time in the vineyards and allows his son to take the lead. For many consumers this estate remains the undisputed icon of Styria. With over 100 hectares of vineyards, they are also a major player in the region, consistently making many of its finest wines.

“Until 2007, we would often go through the vineyards as many as five times to harvest only the ripest fruit,” explained Armin Tement as we were tasting the 2013s. “Is riper always better? My goal is to have them so well tended that we need to pick only once.” That is just one of the many little changes that he has made since returning to the family estate in 2005. The most noticeable improvements have to do with reining in the excesses. Today, for example, there are few small barrels left in the cellar. Most of the wines are now fermented and matured in various sizes of larger ovals. He is also diminishing his use of sulfur, bottling later, and only releasing some of the finest wines two years or more after harvest.

Armin's father Manfred was a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. Now 55, he spends most of his time in the vineyards and allows his son to take the lead. For many consumers this estate remains the undisputed icon of Styria. With over 100 hectares of vineyards, they are also a major player in the region, consistently making many of its finest wines.

For many consumers this estate is the undisputed icon of Styria. While there may be some truth to that perception, even Tement has gone through phases over the years, not all of which were pristine. Manfred Tement was, like Franz Xaver Pichler in Wachau, a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent new winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. In vintages like 2000 and 2001, though, he pushed his luck with ripeness a bit too far. A sauvignon blanc with 14.5% alcohol and a load of new wood will not necessarily be described as elegant. When his son Armin came back in 2005, he tried, as he told me, "all sorts of things to find his own path." Some worked better than others. Only in 2007, though, did he hit full stride, scaling back the extremes, focusing his energies and reverting to larger oak casks for much of the wine. That vintage, along with 2011 and 2012, is certainly one of the best of the new era. Nineteen ninety remains the benchmark for his father. With 83 hectares here and another 20 at their Ciringa property on the Fosilni Berg in Slovenia, they retain an aura that few can attain, much less surpass. (www.tement.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gelber Muskateller Klassik (87), 2012 Weissburgunder Klassik (87) and 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (87). Other wines tasted: 2012 Temento.

For many consumers this estate is the undisputed icon of Styria. While there may be some truth to that perception, even Tement has gone through phases over the years, not all of which were pristine. Manfred Tement was, like Franz Xaver Pichler in Wachau, a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent new winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. In vintages like 2000 and 2001, though, he pushed his luck with ripeness a bit too far. A sauvignon blanc with 14.5% alcohol and a load of new wood will not necessarily be described as elegant. When his son Armin came back in 2005, he tried, as he told me, "all sorts of things to find his own path." Some worked better than others. Only in 2007, though, did he hit full stride, scaling back the extremes, focusing his energies and reverting to larger oak casks for much of the wine. That vintage, along with 2011 and 2012, is certainly one of the best of the new era. Nineteen ninety remains the benchmark for his father. With 83 hectares here and another 20 at their Ciringa property on the Fosilni Berg in Slovenia, they retain an aura that few can attain, much less surpass. (www.tement.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gelber Muskateller Klassik (87), 2012 Weissburgunder Klassik (87) and 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (87). Other wines tasted: 2012 Temento.

For many consumers this estate is the undisputed icon of Styria. While there may be some truth to that perception, even Tement has gone through phases over the years, not all of which were pristine. Manfred Tement was, like Franz Xaver Pichler in Wachau, a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent new winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. In vintages like 2000 and 2001, though, he pushed his luck with ripeness a bit too far. A sauvignon blanc with 14.5% alcohol and a load of new wood will not necessarily be described as elegant. When his son Armin came back in 2005, he tried, as he told me, "all sorts of things to find his own path." Some worked better than others. Only in 2007, though, did he hit full stride, scaling back the extremes, focusing his energies and reverting to larger oak casks for much of the wine. That vintage, along with 2011 and 2012, is certainly one of the best of the new era. Nineteen ninety remains the benchmark for his father. With 83 hectares here and another 20 at their Ciringa property on the Fosilni Berg in Slovenia, they retain an aura that few can attain, much less surpass. (www.tement.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gelber Muskateller Klassik (87), 2012 Weissburgunder Klassik (87) and 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (87). Other wines tasted: 2012 Temento.

For many consumers this estate is the undisputed icon of Styria. While there may be some truth to that perception, even Tement has gone through phases over the years, not all of which were pristine. Manfred Tement was, like Franz Xaver Pichler in Wachau, a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent new winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. In vintages like 2000 and 2001, though, he pushed his luck with ripeness a bit too far. A sauvignon blanc with 14.5% alcohol and a load of new wood will not necessarily be described as elegant. When his son Armin came back in 2005, he tried, as he told me, "all sorts of things to find his own path." Some worked better than others. Only in 2007, though, did he hit full stride, scaling back the extremes, focusing his energies and reverting to larger oak casks for much of the wine. That vintage, along with 2011 and 2012, is certainly one of the best of the new era. Nineteen ninety remains the benchmark for his father. With 83 hectares here and another 20 at their Ciringa property on the Fosilni Berg in Slovenia, they retain an aura that few can attain, much less surpass. (www.tement.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gelber Muskateller Klassik (87), 2012 Weissburgunder Klassik (87) and 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (87). Other wines tasted: 2012 Temento.

For many consumers this estate is the undisputed icon of Styria. While there may be some truth to that perception, even Tement has gone through phases over the years, not all of which were pristine. Manfred Tement was, like Franz Xaver Pichler in Wachau, a larger-than-life personality. The magnificent new winery at the top of the Zieregg vineyard, with its stunning view across the border into Slovenia, was his monument. Much of what he did--and he was the first in Styria to experiment with wild yeasts--was at the cutting edge of development. In vintages like 2000 and 2001, though, he pushed his luck with ripeness a bit too far. A sauvignon blanc with 14.5% alcohol and a load of new wood will not necessarily be described as elegant. When his son Armin came back in 2005, he tried, as he told me, "all sorts of things to find his own path." Some worked better than others. Only in 2007, though, did he hit full stride, scaling back the extremes, focusing his energies and reverting to larger oak casks for much of the wine. That vintage, along with 2011 and 2012, is certainly one of the best of the new era. Nineteen ninety remains the benchmark for his father. With 83 hectares here and another 20 at their Ciringa property on the Fosilni Berg in Slovenia, they retain an aura that few can attain, much less surpass. (www.tement.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gelber Muskateller Klassik (87), 2012 Weissburgunder Klassik (87) and 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (87). Other wines tasted: 2012 Temento.

Tement offered a rather mixed opinion on the 2004 vintage. The quality of the wines is good, he said, but the quantities of the best single-vineyard wines are far lower than he had hoped for.Tement gives most of his wines the benefit of time in oak, with the amount of wood depending on the desired style, but it's worth noting that this talented enologist continues to prefer large oak casks over small French barriques.Tement's consistently excellent sauvignon blancs mature exceptionally well in the bottle: vintages like 1992, 1995 and 1997 still offer great pleasure.Together with his friend F.X. Pichler in the Wachau, Tement has been producing a red wine called Arachon TFXT since 1996.In 2005 he also introduced a series of wines called TOMS, sourced from vineyards owned by ex-tennis star Thomas Muster.I was able to taste over 30 wines from the current selection, ranging from light white wines to substantial reds to rare sweet wines with exceptional finesse, the latter not yet bottled in September.

Tement expresses thorough satisfaction with his richly ripe 2000s, the first wines vinified in his expansive and sophisticated new cellar.

Tement has just completed a new cellar, one of many strenuous and costly efforts made in the interest of maintaining his status as Styria most respected vintner. He continues to believe in the ripening power of new, small barrels for his best wines, although I've often found myself preferring the unoaked cuvees what the Austrians dub Klassik. Based on this year's experience, Tement's new line of Grassnitzberg cuvees done in larger barrels, could represent a golden mean.

Tement has been a tireless pioneer and promoter of Styrian quality and of vinification in barrique His detractors will tell you he has a commercial interest in the sale of new barrels. This may simply be a case of sour grapes, since Tement ranks high on the totem pole carved by Austrian wine writers. That said, I find I consistently prefer his "Styrian classic" (i.e., tank, non-malo) renditions of sauvignon and chardonnay to the ones in which oak plays an obvious role. I am well aware that the fruit of his best vineyards goes into the latter bottlings.