Located in Styria, southern Austrian, near the border with Slovenia, Tamara Kogl tends her centuries-old family vineyards. Sauvignon Blanc grows here with ease, making fantastic wines. There are some parallels that can be drawn to Sancerre, including the limestone soil and cooler climate, but this is a wine beyond compare. The grapes for 'Mantis' come from her old family vines which are the best on the estate. The fermentation took 180 days, since she takes a hands-off approach and does not use temperature control, so the fermentation stalled all winter until the spring weather came. Then the wine was aged in neutral oak casks for 54 months, producing an extremely powerful and complex expression of Sauv Blanc full of woodsy spice, mountain herbs, and aged gooseberry notes, with a dense core of acidity and the ability to continue aging in bottle. You've never had a Sauvignon Blanc like this. 

Pairing: Spicy dishes like shrimp or lamb curry, Game birds stuffed with herbs

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

Soil: Limestone  

Viticulture: biodynamic, low sulfur