2022 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc
STYLE
Old vines reflect a nuanced, complex terroir driven wine. Aromas are of wet rocks and oyster shells. The palate is broad with mid-palate weight. The finish is framed by precise mineral acidity.
FOOD PAIRINGS
This wine pairs nicely with scallops or a richer fish such as monkfish. Grain or bean-based salads are good summertime pairings.
VINEYARD
Avenius Vineyard is owned and operated by Shari Avenius. It is located on the Blue Ridge one half mile north of the winery 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. Clone is unknown.
VINTAGE
The weather of vintage 2022 initially challenged winegrowers with climate change influenced inconsistency. However a key stretch of September sun and low humidity ultimately ripened some impressive grapes.
April bud break was early. Four inches of snow fell just before budbreak. Frost events on April 20 and then again on April 28 were just a degree or two warmer than would damage the tender shoots. “By the skin of our teeth” the crop survived. May was warm and wet encouraging rapid vine development. June flowering occurred under ideal conditions resulting in very large clusters. Frequent thunderstorms in mid-summer encouraged vine vigor and a large potential crop that would need to be judiciously thinned.
Hail in late July did minor damage to exposed clusters. Fortunately we had significantly reduced leaf pulling severity just for this reason: the leaves would act as umbrellas to shield the clusters from hailstones.
Veraison was late and in some cases uneven. We started to dry out in late August, but then on and off rains in early September delayed the beginning of harvest. Avenius Sauvignon Blanc was picked September 16.
WINEMAKING
The focus of making Avenius Sauvignon Blanc is to showcase textural density and complexity that comes from the Avenius site. Retaining varietal character is not a goal. Terroir trumps variety. 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 30 days at 68F (20C) in old 500 liter puncheons. The wine was aged on lees for 10 months. Bottled in August 2023. Alcohol is 13.3%. 1,870 bottles produced. This wine will drink well from 2025 to 2028.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2022 Vintage | 2022 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc