2012 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc
Palate
Grapefruit, petrichor, evolving dense mid-palate and then a long bracing racy acidity.
Aromas
A mineral style of Sauvignon Blanc with wet stones, flint and seashell.
Food Pairing
Cold ocean oysters, goat cheese, smoked fish, fresh peas.
Vineyard
Avenius Vineyard is owned and operated by Shari Avenius, who is also Linden Vineyard’s director. It is located on the Blue Ridge one half mile north of Linden Vineyards at an elevation of 1,300 feet on a steep northeast facing slope. Soils are well-drained rocky greenstone and shale. The vines were planted in 1996 and are trained on the French lyre trellising system. Yields in 2012 were 3.0 tons per acre or 45 hl/H.
Vintage
2012 was back to some welcome degree of normalcy after the freakishly hot and dry 2010 and the rain soaked September of 2011.
An extremely mild and dry winter gave us bud break a record 3 to 4 weeks earlier than average. Frost our biggest concern, but the mild winter continued into spring resulting in a frost-free season. A dry, warm April and May was welcomed by older vines. Flowering was still 2 to 3 weeks early, but occurred under generally favorable conditions and we were looking at a generous crop across varieties.
Mid summer was hot and precipitation was variable. The vines were never water stressed during the summer. Blocks on clay soils experienced luxuriant and to some degree, unwanted rampant growth. August is usually the time we have finished our work in the vineyard and head back to the cellar. In 2012 tropical conditions in August, beckoned us back to the vineyard to pull more leaves around bunches, aerating the cluster zones as a precaution against rot. Ultimately, clusters were healthy, but berry size was large.
Harvest began about 10 days early under typical September conditions. One day of rain was followed by a week of sun. Sauvignon Blanc started the harvest with refreshingly low sugars , moderate acidities, and good aromatics. Harvest was Sept 1 and Sept.10, 2012. Drink now through 2015.
Winemaking
The goal of winemaking with Sauvignon Blanc is to retain the fresh, wild, pungent character of the grape, but also showcasing textural weight and complexity that comes from the Avenius site. The chilled grapes are sorted, destemmed, lightly crushed and pressed and then the juice is allowed to settle overnight. VIN13 yeast starts fermentation immediately. The wine ferments for about 30 days at 60F in a stainless steel tank. The wine is aged on its lees with occasional stirring. Bottled in April 2013. 272 cases produced.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2012 Vintage | 2012 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc