Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest 12

PAUMANOK 2012 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest 12

Country USA
Region Long Island
Producer Paumanok
Size

375mL
Style Dessert
Practices Sustainable
Grapes Sauvignon Blanc
Other Features Screw Cap

100% Sauvignon Blanc from Paumanok’s original block of Sauvignon Blanc, planted in 1984 just behind the winery. The grapes were allowed to hang on the vine beyond their normal point of full ripeness to promote the development of botrytis, the “noble rot”. The grapes were carefully hand-harvested and put into a freezer. The frozen grapes were then whole-cluster pressed and allowed to thaw, press cycles averaged 20 hours. The juice was immediately chilled, allowed to settle, and fermented entirely in 225l new oak barrels, 50% French and 50% Hungarian. Fermentation temperature was kept cool, below 60ºF. This cuvée was bottled on April 1, 2013. 10% alcohol. 147 gr/l residual sugar. 412 cases produced.

Intense and focused tropical fruit flavors like litchi, quince, pineapple, mango and guava. Rich and sweet, with ample acidity to balance the sugar, resulting in a sensational, full-bodied dessert wine with a long finish. The oak embellishes the wine by imparting a subtle nutty flavor and by increasing complexity.

Vintage notes: “2012 was an excellent vintage. While the early summer months of June and July saw challenging conditions in the form of high humidity, the latter part of the summer was marked by plenty of heat, sun and long stretches of dry weather; ideal conditions for wine-growing. The most significant meteorological event of 2012 – Hurricane Sandy – occurred a few days after we had picked the last of our grapes.”

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About the Producer

Founded in 1983 by the Massoud family, Paumanok Vineyards is the 2nd oldest winery on Long Island – and the oldest winery on Long Island still owned and run by its founder’s family. Established by Charles Massoud, a native of Lebanon, and his wife Ursula, a native of the Pfalz, Germany – and member of a winemaking/grape growing family – the estate is now run by their sons. Their eldest son, Kareem, is the winemaker; their son Nabeel is the viticulturalist, and their son Salim runs their administrative functions. The estate takes its name from an Algonquian name for Long Island, which was famously referenced by Walt Whitman in his poem “Starting from Paumanok”, published in Leaves of Grass.

Their 127-acre estate property is planted with 32 ha of Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Melon de Bourgogne – densely plated at 1,100-1,400 vines per acre to produce more concentrated fruit and higher quality wines. Their wines are only made with estate fruit and production is limited to under 12,000 cases.

Their terroir is defined by the North Fork’s maritime climate and sandy, loamy topsoil and gravelly subsoil with excellent drainage, similar to Premiers Cru Bordeaux sites. In winter, Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay, which surround the estate, act as giant heat sinks and insulate the vineyards from extreme low temperatures. In summer, they moderate the heat experienced in the city and inland. At harvest, Paumanok often experiences a long Indian summer due to the maritime climate. Sustainable farming and careful canopy management allow the terroir to express itself in their delicately crafted wines. Kareem’s winemaking approach is meticulous and low-intervention, with minimal use of sulfur dioxide.

Paumanok is certified sustainable by Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing (LISW). LISW is the first organization of its kind on the East Coast – modeled after similar organizations on the West Coast, like Oregon LIVE and Lodi Rules. Since 2017, the winery is 100% solar powered by their own solar panels.

Paumanok
New York Wines, Wineries, Wine Making History of New York - Charles Massoud
Click here for Kareem Massoud's interview, "Vineyard Chat" with Jeff Harding

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