2018 Village Chardonnay
Style
Charm: “the power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration”. This is a slowly revealing wine that defines restraint and harmony. Its aromas have a quiet floral perfume. The balance and seamlessness on the palate are close to ethereal.
Food Pairings
The 2018 Village Chardonnay has a lightness and freshness that makes it an ideal pairing with simply prepared fish and seafood. Hearty, main course salads with grains, beans and fresh cheeses also work well.
Vineyards
Hardscrabble Vineyard (65%), 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. Vines planted in 1985, 1988, 1994 and 2010, 2014 and 2016. Mainly VSP with some French Lyre training systems. A mix of Wente clones.
Avenius Vineyard (25%), Warren Co. is just 1 mile north of Linden Vineyards at 1,300 feet contributes good acidity and verve. Vines planted in 1996 on Lyre training system. Dijon clones.
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, loam soils. The vines were planted in 2000 and are trained on cordon/VSP trellising. Dijon clones.
Vintage
2018 was with wettest year ever recorded in this area. Much of that rain fell during the growing season. To say the vintage was challenging would be an understatement. Facing reality by strategically “punting” was the best way to approach growing and winemaking decisions. The result: light, pretty, quaffable white wines with charm.
Bud break was about a week late, but then May turned warm stimulating vigorous shoot growth and long internode length. Continued wet conditions reduced berry set in June leading to small clusters. Two gloriously sunny, dry weeks in early July gave hope of a turn around, but it was not to be. The vines did not stop their vegetative growth by veraison (the color change of red grapes and start of ripening.)
The leading harvest parameter was to pick before the grapes started any degradation (rot being the main concern). White grapes came in with good flavors and aromatics. Acidities were high, but within the bounds of making a balanced wine. The problem was a lack of concentration. The winemaking goal was to make “pretty” white wines that would be fresh and quaffable. Any notions of making single vineyard wines were quickly dismissed. All the prized blocks that typically go into the single vineyard wines were part of the Village Chardonnay in 2018.
Harvest was from September 5th to the 14th.
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. The 2018 Village Chardonnay is a blend from all three of Linden’s vineyard sites. 9,840 bottles produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for several years past vintage. Alcohol 12.3%.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2018 Vintage | 2018 Village Chardonnay