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66 WINES&VINES March 2017 GRAPEGROWING WINE EAST W hen one thinks of white vinifera wines made in New York state, Riesling and Chardonnay immediately come to mind. Other well-known cultivars that have been produced include Gewürz- traminer and Pinot Gris. Now Sauvi- gnon Blanc is becoming part of the mix. Thought to be improperly suited for New York's cool-climate viticulture, Sauvignon Blanc initially found some success on Long Is- land, where the maritime influences favored Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Recently, however, the grape has found a home in parts of the Finger Lakes. The efforts of two producers of New York Sauvignon Blanc—Hosmer Winery of Ovid, in the Finger Lakes, and Bedell Cellars, in Cutchogue, on Long Island's North Fork—are indicative of the variety's budding future in the Empire State. Hosmer Winery The vineyard: Cameron Hosmer planted about 10 acres of grapes on the western side of Cayuga Lake in 1972. Cur- rently there are 60 acres planted, with 45 acres of vinifera, including almost 2.5 acres of Sauvignon Blanc. The vine- yards are now managed by Hosmer's son, Tim Hosmer. Three clones of Sauvignon Blanc (376, 530 and Musque) were purchased from Sunridge Nursery in California and planted at Hosmer in 2011. Tim Hosmer likes clone 376 because it is the most consistent, while the 530 seems to grow best on shallower soil. All the Sauvignon Blanc is planted on 101-14 rootstock to contain the vines' vigor. Hosmer thinks Sauvignon Blanc's propensity to stay green into November may not give the vines enough time to harden for the winter unless curtailed. To help limit growth, the vines were closely planted in rows 8.5 feet apart with 5 feet between plants. Another limiting technique is the use of more drainage tiles, which for this variety are set every other row, twice as often as the rest of the vineyard. Hosmer stated the need to limit moisture retention of the vines post-harvest to cut back growth. The soil is a fairly fine textured variation of silt-loam with clay subsoil. Even with these efforts, the vines were hit hard by the severe winters of 2014 and 2015. This past winter they buried whole canes beneath hay, which ultimately proved unnecessary because of the mild weather. Although Hosmer loves the way his Sauvignon Blanc ripens and how the wine tastes, he doesn't anticipate additional plantings. "From a grower's standpoint of economics, it's not the strongest choice," he said. "It's not the most reliable grape, it just doesn't like the winter." For those interested in this cultivar, site selection becomes very important, as it is for another finicky grape in the Finger Producing Sauvignon Blanc in New York How two wineries grow and vinify an increasingly popular and vigorous variety By Ray Pompilio KEY POINTS Sauvignon Blanc has become increasingly popular in New York, where two leading wineries (Bedell Cellars on Long Is- land and Hosmer Winery in the Finger Lakes) are among those growing and vinifying the grape variety. Steps such as tight spacing in and between rows helps to control Sauvignon Blanc's vigor, which Bedell utilizes me- chanical hedging to limit. In the Finger Lakes, site selection is important, partly because bud break occurs well before the final date for the threat of spring frosts. Both wineries harvest when the grapes are between 20° and 21.5° Brix and the acid is between 7.5 and 8.5 g/L. Bedell's Sauvignon Blanc wines are crisp but not overtly grassy. Hos- mer's wines are very aromatic and develop tropical fruit char- acteristics with time. Clone 376 is the most consistent of three Sauvignon Blanc clones planted by Hosmer Winery. ALL PHOTOS BY RAY POMPILIO