From properties owned by tennis star Thomas Muster (hence the label “TOMS”), the 2006 Gelber Muskateller TOMS Hochkittenberg represents a major step up from Tement’s Klassik blend. Pungently herbal and citrus zesty, this rendition of Muskateller manages to retain clear, succulent primary fruit and offers a surprsingly lush palate impression, supporting suggestions of ripe musk melon and elder flower. These then mingle with the wine’s mint, sage, marjoram and lemon zest (along with hints of chalk) in the finish. Muskateller, incidentally, has moved into second place among the grapes chez Tement, and its acreage is set to continue increasing, and that is only to satisfy demand from within Austria. 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
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