2014 Linden Avenius

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 89 points

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  12/14/2023 - jkscully wrote:

  Petit Verdot (62%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (8%) come from 16 year old vines while Merlot (30%) comes from 7 year old vines. Once-aged French oak barrels. Linden says that cooler and cloudier October days produced lower than average sugars and higher than average acids for the grapes. I get chocolate and violet with plum and blackberry fruits with bell pepper and cayenne. These flavors are mixed with cedar and balsamic vinegar with red fruits emerging more and more as it sits. Drying tannins. I opened it as a PnP and I think it was best that way and it lost most of it’s pop by day 2. This is restrained but polished and very pretty.
  
  Good in Zalto Bordeaux (but didn’t try it in other glasses) and a nice match with Saffron Pappardelle with spiced butter. Compared to the Keswick Cabernet Reserve from the same vintage (opened just two days ago), I think the Keswick was slightly the better wine (though it was also $20 more expensive so this might have been the better QPR). I was disappointed by how this wine showed on day 2 though.

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  1/29/2022 - RichardZula Likes this wine:

  Very nice, fragrant, balanced, had a unique aroma that smells like the winery.

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  7/27/2020 - Woodford Likes this wine: 89 Points

  At the open:
  Smells of dark brooding fruit and stagnate water
  Tastes of earth, bitter branches, chocolate, and muted black fruit
  
  After 1 Hour:
  Smells of dark red fruit and sweet water.
  Tastes of balanced red fruits - strawberry and darker -, earth, and a touch of eucalyptus.
  
  It finds a good rhythm after 1 hour, showing pleasing fruit that takes a back seat to convincing minerality and earth.

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  4/19/2019 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 89 Points

  Linden winery (At the tasting room): Dark berries, dark chocolate, much more structure than the 2014 Boisseau, lots of berries on the palate. lovely.

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  6/21/2018 - Vtdarush Likes this wine:

  Style
  This is an elegant "come-hither" wine that can be overlooked if one is not paying attention. There are layers of complexity that include various red fruits, and Indian spices, with cedar and balsamic, sappy aromas. There is core and density without any fat. A sinewy, fresh wine based on acidity more than tannins.
  
  Vineyard
  Avenius Vineyard (100%), Warren Co. is just 1 mile north of Linden Vineyards at 1,300 feet elevation with an eastern slope. Soils are primarily greenstone. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot were planted in 1998. Merlot was planted in 2007.
  
  Vintage
  Every growing season has its personality, and as average as 2014 was, there were three aspects that shaped the character of the wines.
  
  A very long cold winter damaged some vines and delayed spring. A late start to spring can end up as a very late harvest. The fear was that late ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot would run out of warmth come October. We were prepared to reduce our potential yields by removing a significant amount of the clusters in July. A smaller crop would ripen faster.
  
  However, July was beautiful. Dry, warm weather slowed the vegetative growth of the vines. 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 through mid-October 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 start of harvest.
  
  Mid-September to early October was our big break with very little rain and mild temperatures, although it remained somewhat cloudy. Ripening took its time with lower than average sugars and higher than average acids. Petit Verdot had good flavors and high acidity. Merlot was a bit stubborn. It refused to gain the flesh and fat that it is known for. Cabernet Sauvignon, which had very ripe skin tannins, supplied some length. However, its seeds were not fully developed, and the forecast was for significant rains beginning October 10. We picked a record amount of Cabernet and Petit Verdot before the rains and extracted gently (avoiding pulling out bitter components from the seeds).
  
  2014 is “Old World” in style because of the cooler temperatures and cloudier days. The Avenius Red is lower alcohol with some bright acidity. This is a compelling style for the dinner table, but perhaps not for wine writer points.
  
  Winemaking
  Pressing took place after about 10 to 14 days, at dryness. The wine was aged in once-used French oak barrels for 20 months. Unfined. 62% Petit Verdot, 30% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 75 cases produced. Drink now through 2024. 13.3% alc.

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