Alcohol: 12.6%
Grape(s): Chardonnay
Localization: Virginia, USA
Tasting Notes: Ripe fruit notes, caramelized apple, vanilla, and butterscotch are apparent in the wine’s youth.
Notes: Barrel-fermented warm in new French 350-liter barrels and slightly used 228-liter French oak. No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 11months, and then in tank (sur lie) for an additional 5 months.
Food Pairing: Squash or mushroom risotto, boudin blanc, polenta, roasted potatoes.
The Domain:
Our job as winegrowers is to express the forces of earth, weather, and vine in the glass. We farm three distinct vineyard sites with the goal of patiently unveiling their individual personalities. Agriculture as art. Our cellar practices are simple and traditional so as to allow the vineyard to speak. Linden’s wines are restrained, intuitive, and harmonious. This is also who we are.
One of Virginia’s premier wineries, Linden Vineyards is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 60 miles west of Washington DC. The entire wine production of 4,000 cases comes exclusively from three distinct vineyard sites. Linden is best known for single-vineyard bottlings of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Bordeaux variety red blends.
The land that was to become Linden Vineyards was a long-abandoned apple orchard. Jim Law and his family purchased the 76 acres in 1983 after several years of looking for vineyard land with high elevations and east-facing slopes. After clearing trees, they planted the first eight acres in 1985. The original vines were mostly grafted and propagated in-house from budwood obtained from the few local vineyards in the surrounding area. The first planting consisted of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Vidal, and Seyval. Heirloom apples and blueberries were also planted for a pick-your-own operation that was eventually phased out in the early 2000s. The winery building was finished in time for the harvest of 1987, Linden’s first commercial vintage.
Hardscrabble Vineyard, Fauquier Co. on top of the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Deep, well-drained mineral soils give acidity and good structure.
