2021 Wabi Sabi
Style
The 2021 vintage has weight and volume than typical for our Wabi Sabi. It is full bodied and very dry.
Wabi Sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that reveres the “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”. This reflects our philosophy behind the wine. It is a blend that is made without a plan. Decisions are made throughout elevage (aging) as we become familiar with the personality of each lot. This is unusual for traditional, conservative, methodical Linden Vineyards.
Food Pairings
This wine would pair well with seafood with more spice and weight, such as lobster dishes. Pork loin with apricots and rich, but mild cheeses would also compliment the 2021 Wabi Sabi.
Vineyards
Hardscrabble Vineyard (78%) on top of the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Well-drained mineral soils give good tannin structure. Vines planted in the early 2000s. VSP training systems and high density spacing.
Boisseau Vineyard (22%) 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. The vines were planted in 2000 and are trained on cordon/VSP trellising. Contributes mid-palate volume and fruit.
Vintage
Spring came in gently and predictably. A cold February was followed by a dry, mild March. Bud break was in late April, right on time. May did not follow suit as hail on May 7 damaged some emerging shoots. Fortunately the damage was mostly cosmetic to only the base of the shoots as the clusters had not yet unfolded.
May was dry as was June and July. This made for a good crop (excellent pollination conditions) with small berries (water stressed vines), but young vines were beginning to show signs of excessive water stress (stunted growth and yellowing basal leaves).
Veraison began in late July under ideal conditions: hot and dry. Color change was quick and uniform setting the stage for high quality. Mid-August presented a big shift with humid, wet nights and frequent quick, hard showers. This slowed the ripening process and elevated disease pressure. Harvest for Wabi Sabi started with Semillon on September 8 and finished with Vidal and Petit Manseng on October 11.
Winemaking
Chilled grapes were sorted, crushed and pressed. The settled juice was barrel fermented warm (70's F) in old, neutral French oak. No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 10 months. Bottled in August 2022. 2,360 bottles produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for several years past vintage. Alcohol 13.7%.
Vidal Blanc (43%): One of France’s illegal grapes (now banned in France from planting). Cuttings were smuggled into the US after World War II. The vines at Linden’s Hardscrabble vineyard were planted in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Vidal Blanc is the foundation for the texture and structure of Wabi Sabi.
Petit Manseng (22%): Originally from French the foothills of the Pyrenees, this grape contributes aromatic complexity and acidity.
Sémillon (13%): The forgotten stepsister of Bordeaux contributes elegance and a bit of restraint to the blend. Grapes are sourced from a tiny planting from 2012.
Chardonnay (12%): Boisseau Chardonnay adds some rich mid-palate texture.
Viognier (10%): Boisseau Viognier contributes aromatics and tannins to the finish.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2021 Vintage | 2021 Wabi Sabi