2014 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc
Palate
Sinewy, focused, energy, long.
Aromas
Saline, pungent grapefruit rind.
Food Pairings
Shellfish, whitefish, smoked fish, goat cheese salad.
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 2014 were a minuscule on acre or 15 hl/H.
Vintage
2014 started very late with bud break in early May. A warm, dry summer was welcome as the vine’s vegetative growth slowed at the right time. Instead of putting energy into producing more leaves, which will happen in a wet summer, the vines put their energy into ripening the grapes. We knew something good was to happen when veraison occurred sooner (and faster) than expected. Spring and mid-summer lay the foundation of the vintage, but late August and September determine the style, character and quality of the wines. The beginning of harvest started in early September. It was typical of the ‘cat and mouse’ picking strategies that we are all now accustomed to. A few days of sunny delightful weather followed by showers characterized the harvest. Harvest was September 11, 2014.
Winemaking
The goal of winemaking with Sauvignon Blanc is to retain the fresh, wild, pungent character of the grape, but also to showcase the textural weight and complexity that comes with Avenius site. The chilled grapes are sorted, destemmed, lightly crushed and pressed, and then the juice is allowed to settle overnight. VL3 yeast starts fermentation immediately. The wine fermented for about 21 days at 64F in neutral french barrels. The wine was aged on lees for 7 months. Bottled in May 2015. Alcohol is 12.5%. 84 cases were produced.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2014 Vintage | 2014 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc