Owner Jim Law in one of the more intriguing winemakers on the east coast. He makes terrific quality driven wines. I have never been disappointed by one of his bottles.
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.
According to Linden, "All the grapes used for wines produced at Linden Vineyards are grown on three sites. Hardscrabble Vineyard is the estate vineyard of twenty acres surrounding the winery building. It includes some of the original vines planted in 1985. Avenius Vineyard is located just one mile north of the winery on a high ridge. This cool site was planted in 1996. Boisseau Vineyard is six miles west of the winery in the town of Front Royal. It is a warmer site situated on a west facing bluff overlooking the Shenandoah Valley.
According to Linden's notes, "The rains that never fell… The rest of September was warm and dry setting the stage for one of the best red grape harvests in the 30 years of Linden’s history...2017 white wines show classic verve and acidity with a lean, focused texture." The Linden Boisseau Viognier 2017 started out with a lovely, flowery nose with classic aromas of violets, peach, tangerine, mango and honeysuckle. Also a hint of vanilla and spice. A lovely zesty ending makes this an incredibly good Viognier I would put up against any other region. Light, complex, layered, and the fruit lingered for seemingly ever. Fantastic!
One of the other wines I had the opportunity to try was the Linden Hardscrabble Chardonnay 2015. According to Law, "The two stars of the vintage were Chardonnay and Merlot, which were able to take full advantage of glorious September days, and were safely on the cellar before any rains began." The winemaker's notes added, "Grapes were sorted and lightly crushed into the press. Fermentation starts in tank, then racked to French oak after a week. Aged in barrel, on lees for 10 months with little stirring to preserve freshness. About 20% new oak. Aged an additional 4 months on lees in tank...Bottled in January 2017. 521 cases produced."
The wine was simply amazing. It was a lovely whirlwind of fresh apples, big red delicious and a hint of Bosc pears, and even a touch of green apple to boot. A hint of tropical fruits. Lovely hints of toast and vanilla. And a long, long lingering fruit that settled in the mouth beautifully. Every time I took a sip, I wanted to let it linger and see what new flavors and aromas I could detect, both through the nose and one the palate. This wine was so, so impressive. As good as any chardonnay from anywhere. I loved this wine!
According to Linden's notes, "With a few caveats, 2015 was an excellent year for both white and red wines...rains in late September forced an early picking of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, much of which lacked the ripeness and concentration of the earlier ripening Merlot and Cabernet Franc." That said, I tasted this Linden Petite Verdot 2017 twice. And both times it was memorable.
Linden Petite Verdot is usually a blending of grapes from all three vineyards. According to Law, "Hardscrabble Vineyard (85%), 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 cherry character and good tannin structure. Vine ages from 15 to 25 years. Boisseau Vineyard (10%), Warren Co. is located on a bluff above Front Royal in the Shenandoah Valley at an elevation of 600 feet. The vineyard is west facing on light, deep, well-drained loam soils. Boisseau contributes ‘fat’ to the blend. The vines were planted in 2000 and are trained on cordon/VSP trellising. Avenius Vineyard (5%), Warren Co. just one mile north of Linden Vineyards at 1,300 feet, contributes good acidity and verve. Petit Verdot planted in 1998."
"We hand sorted before destemming and then again afterwards to remove compromised berries and stem pieces. Extraction techniques for Petit Verdot were much gentler than in previous years. Fermentation temperatures are cooler, pump overs less frequent and time on skins was short (one week). Carmenere was co-fermented with Petit Verdot. The wine was aged primarily in tank along with a few older oak barrels. Bottled August 2016. 97% Petit Verdot, and 3% Carmenere," reported the winemaker's notes.
"We hand sorted before destemming and then again afterwards to remove compromised berries and stem pieces. Extraction techniques for Petit Verdot were much gentler than in previous years. Fermentation temperatures are cooler, pump overs less frequent and time on skins was short (one week). Carmenere was co-fermented with Petit Verdot. The wine was aged primarily in tank along with a few older oak barrels. Bottled August 2016. 97% Petit Verdot, and 3% Carmenere," reported the winemaker's notes.
The Linden Petite Verdot 2015, like some of its sibling vintages, features a big, jammy note up front. WHile it's not quite as big as some other years, I did not find the wine lacking, given the vintage notes cited above. It was a lovely medium bodied red, with very lovely color and great taste. A gig jammy wine, smooth and delicious, with notes of luscious dark fruits (think stewed dark cherries, big plump blackberries, and even one or two prunes thrown in for effect). A Lovely round of vanilla and tannins show up on the back end, keeping the wine honest and giving it a wonderful underlying backbone. The wine was evocative, layered, and complex. It showed wonderful structure. A classic Petite Verdot. I loved it. I really loved it.
Three absolute winners from Linden Vineyards!