Style

The 2020 Petit Verdot is exuberant and wound up with aromas of crunchy red fruit and herbs de Provence. It is medium bodied with acidity rather than tannins giving a long, fresh finish.

Food Pairings

Mushroom risotto, pork loin, duck confit.

Vineyards

Hardscrabble Vineyard (75%), 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.

Avenius Vineyard (15%), Warren Co. is just 1 mile north of Linden Vineyards at 1,300 feet contributes good acidity and verve. Petit Verdot planted in 1998

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. 

Vintage

Winter ended early as March warmed and quickly initiating a very early bud break. From early April to early May we were on frost alert with many close calls. May 9 (Mother’s Day) finally nipped Chardonnay and Merlot vines resulting in reduced yields.

Cooler than average April and May also slowed vine development, but a warm streak in June allowed for good flowering and berry set. A hot, dry mid-July slowed vine growth at just the right time. The vines were looking balanced and ready to put their energy into ripening at as veraison was soon to begin.

Late July gave us a few welcome rain showers that refreshed the vines, but those showers eventually became more steady rains and by mid-August the soils were close to saturated. This slowed the veraison process and pushed predicted harvest dates 7 to 10 days behind average. Smoke haze from the west coast fires filtered sunlight on some days.

Soil water holding capacity and vine age played a critical role in determining picking strategies. The Petit Verdot is more feminine in style as extractions were gentle due to uneven ripening. Harvest was October 9 through 17, 2020.

Winemaking

Grapes hand sorted before destemming and then again afterwards to remove compromised berries and stem pieces. Extraction techniques for Petit Verdot were gentle. Fermentation temperatures were cool with pump overs only once a day. Time on skins was ten days. The wine was aged in stainless steel tanks. Bottled March 2022. 87% Petit Verdot and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.3% alcohol by volume. 2,288 bottles produced. Drink through 2028.

Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2020 Vintage | 2020 Linden Petit Verdot