Tement’s 2006 Zieregg IZ – the second vintage of an experimental fermentation of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc via semi-carbonic maceration – has turned out a touch youthfully woody, but not in the rather excessive manner of this vintage’s pure Chardonnay Zieregg. Impressively dense, creamily rich in texture and finishing with suggestions of salt and chalk, this will be worth following for at least a couple of years during which it may gain complexity and definition.Although I was not in Sudsteiermark last year, I had a chance to taste most of Manfred Tement’s recent releases with him in Vienna.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

The 2005 Morillon Chardonnay Zieregg IZ – which was still in cask when I tasted it last summer – is a notably successful example. Whereas several of Tement’s 2006s and 2005s from the Burgundy family were afflicted with an overtly lactic tone, here there is a lovely primary apple and tropical fruitiness, a lift and refreshment complemented by subtly creamy and nutty suggestions, and a clear finish with chalky, smoky, leesy nuances that suggests less than the 14% alcohol this wine in fact possesses. Tement’s expansion has not stopped at the Slovenian border, and in 2006 he acquired the neighboring holdings of the Carmelites – where his father long worked as winemaker – and since replanted their 90 year old patchwork of vine varieties to insure more Zieregg Sauvignon for the future. Tement has begun using glass stoppers on his wines in lieu of corks. Given the extent of his offerings and given that I travel to Styria only every other year, I cannot pretend to have tasted Tement’s entire 2005 and 2006 collections, but only the subset (perhaps half) that he chose to show me in the time we had available. Tement is modifying his approach with Sauvignon – especially in the top sites – having decided that lower yields and the consequent ability to harvest somewhat earlier are more advantageous (not to mention less risky) than the long hang time he has traditionally practiced with this variety.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing (www.weygandtmetzler.com), Unionville, PA; tel. 610-486-0800