Bottler: Tement GmbH, Zieregg 13, A-8461 Ehrenhausen / Austria
In the glass
Colour
Pale straw yellow with green-gold highlights.
Nose
Herbal and spicy with notes of borage, oregano and ground elder, underpinned by apple peel, juicy pears, wet chalk and preserved lemons.
Palate
Remarkably direct and sinewy on the palate, driven by a transparent, crystalline acid structure and finely contoured phenolics.
Character
Taut, athletic and mineral – an age-worthy white wine with incredible depth of focus and cellaring potential.
Pairing
Skate wing or young spring cabbage in lemon butter with capers, as well as slow-roasted kid goat from the oven.
Notes
Single-vineyard Morillon from 40-year-old vines grown on 16-million-year-old coral limestone; Demeter-certified, spontaneously fermented, aged for 24 months on the fine lees, and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting note
Colour & Appearance
Pale straw yellow laced with vibrant green reflections.
Nose
Currently still somewhat reserved, this stony bouquet reveals an impressive herbal spice once allowed to breathe. Notes of borage, oregano and ground elder intertw with yellow fruit such as apple skins and juicy pears. Beneath lie cool blackboard chalk dust and the piquant note of preserved lemons.
Palate
On the palate, this Morillon – the South Styrian name for Chardonnay – reveals itself as immensely focused, without a single gramme of fat. A crystalline acid structure and finely contoured phenolics meet sinewy, dense extract. A wine of athletic nature: more Bruce Lee than Schwarzenegger. The chalky minerality imparts tremendous tension to the structure.
Terroir & Origin
The Steilriegel is the south-western part of the legendary Zieregg Grand Cru vineyard site in Ehrenhausen. The vines, averaging 40 years of age, grow on loose brown earth over a roughly 16-million-year-old coral limestone saddle. With slopes exceeding 50 percent gradient and at altitudes between 400 and 480 metres, this cool terroir yields wines of radiant freshness.
Grape Variety & Vinification
Single-varietal Chardonnay (Morillon). In line with new STK regulations, Armin Tement restructured the Steilriegel, which is planted with over 90% of this grape variety. The wine underwent wild fermentation, aged for 24 months on the fine lees in small oak casks, and was ultimately bottled unfined and unfiltered. The winery operates biodynamically under Demeter guidelines.
Food Pairings
Ideal alongside young Savoy cabbage and spring turnips in lemon butter with capers. Also pairs superbly with skate wing prepared in the same manner, as well as slow-roasted Portuguese milk-fed kid. Decanting beforehand is strongly recommended.
Key Features
As a Große STK Lage, this single-varietal Morillon represents the absolute pinnacle of Styrian viticulture. Unfiltered and wild-fermented, it possesses extraordinary cellaring potential for many years to come.
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