Palate

Enters lean and crisp. Medium body, elegant with lots of verve and a lime zest, sappy finish.

Aromas

Stone dust, kiwi, green apple.

Food Pairings

Grilled salmon, or any ‘steak’ fish. Lightly smoked trout. fresh goat cheese.

Vineyard

Hardscrabble (80%): the estate vineyard on the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Deep, well-drained granite soils give cherry character and good structure. Vine ages from 3 to 27 years.

Boisseau (5%): Western facing with loamy soils, it is in the Shenandoah Valley in the town of Front Royal, about 6 miles from Linden.

Avenius Vineyard (15%) is located on the Blue Ridge one-half mile north of Linden Vineyards at an elevation of 1,300 feet on a steep east facing slope. Soils are well-drained, rocky, greenstone and granite.

Vintage

2014 started very late with bud break in early May. A warm, dry summer was welcome as the vegetative growth of the vines slowed at the right time. 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 going to happen when veraison occurred sooner (and faster) than expected. Spring and mid-summer lay the foundation of the vintage, but late August and September determine the style, character, and quality of the wines. September was glorious with warm, sunny and dry days.

Winemaking

Chilled grapes were sorted, pressed, juice settled and then barrel fermented warm (70’s F) in old, neutral French oak. No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 10 months. This 2014 Linden Chardonnay is primarily comprised of press juice from all three vineyard sites, along with some declassified Hardscrabble barrels. 146 cases produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for 4 or more years past vintage. Alcohol 12.0%.

Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2014 Vintage | 2014 Chardonnay