Winery Visit - Linden Vineyards

Address: 3708 Harrels Corner Rd, Linden, VA 22642   

Phone: (540) 364-1997

On Saturday, March 5, 2016, I went to Linden Vineyards to take a tour of the facility and participate in a wine tasting. I had never visited a winery before. I was recommended this winery by different people, but I was mostly interested in how they are sustainable. 

  

                                      Linden Vineyards, Blue Ridge, Virginia

Linden Vineyards contains 18-acres land situated at 1400 feet elevation of Blue Ridge, Virginia. It is a family owned winery, Jim Law actually lives on the property. Owner Jim Law is an Ohio native and  has never won any prizes and he doesn’t believe in competition. He is doing all the works on the field just as a passion of making good wines. He started his vineyard from Chardonnay, and those are his babies so he does not let anyone else work on them; he cherish his work. Most of the grapes are grown on-site surrounding the vineyard. Some of the grapes are brought from Boisseau (4 acres); 7 miles west of Linden, and Avenius (5 acres); less than one mile north of Linden Vineyards. They have been growing the grape for last 30 years. They also practice sustainability in their vineyards. They use the stems, local horse, cow and chicken manure  to make composts and use less chemical fertilizers.

Foxes, raccoons, birds affect the vineyard during ripening of grapes. As the grapes have reached a certain sugar level, the grapes are harvested and crushed. Grapes are harvested in the fall, late September and early October. At the same location with other members. Harvesting of grapes also depends on what kind of wine they want to make. After the grapes are crushed, the wine is processed, fermented, stored, barreled, and eventually bottled.

Vineyard- To the right are his reds and       Three different soil structure from different       

to the left are his Chardonnay                     regions. Different grapes are produced                                                                                           depending on the type of soil

             

The stainless steel contraptions process the grape juice into wine. The neutral oak barrels are used for storing wine. They import these barrels from France. They also have CuvEgg barrel made out of concrete. They used it to make Rosé Wine from 2015. 

          

        EggCurv for Rose wine             Stainless Steel Barrel for wine fermentation

After the wine ages in barrels, it is ready to be bottled. The bottling machine only bottles one bottle at a time.  Jim and 6 other people help in the bottling process, he is very specific when bottling and make sure he is involved in the process. Every bottle of Linden vineyards wine is bottled using a natural cork in the same location. They use cork blasted with CO2, which helps to get rid of oak flavor from the cork.

      

    Place to cap the bottle with cork                        Barrels to ferment the wine

At the end of our tour, we participated in the wine tasting. The wine testing included a variety of Linden Vineyards wines. We began with the dry wines first and ended with the honey  sweet wine. I thought the selection included a wide variety and was a great sampling of what Linden Vineyard has to offer. We sampled the following eleven different wines:

• 2014 Chardonnay: Yellow (light), lemon like, citrus, optimize flavor, take it hour before the dinner
• 2014 Riesling Vidal: Aromas - Mineral and balsm; Palate - off-dry with a saline freshness and density; Food Pairings - Asian cuisine, spicy sausages, and any dishes that go well with beer.
• 2012 Claret: Aromas - pastry shop, Bing cherry, nutmeg; Palate - Sweet red fruit, moderate body and fresh acidity with some tannin grip; Food Pairings - Cornish hens, roasted chicken or Coq au vin
• 2011 Petit Verdot: Aromas - Dried herbs, Indian spices, smoke; Palate - medium bodied, acid framed with chewy tannins; Food Pairings - Braised meats, chili, barbecued ribs, or pasta.
• 2012 Petit Verdot: Aromas - crunchy wild blackberry, pomegranate, clove, Earl Grey tea; Palate - Fresh and concentrated bramble fruits with savory herbal notes. Moderately high acidity and tannins; Food Pairings: braised meats, chili, barbecued ribs, or sausages
• 2013 Boisseau Chardonnay: Palate - Round, dense, fresh acidity; Vintage - Cool, dry fall, good harvest conditions.
• 2013 Harscrabble Chardonnay: Aromas - Toasted sesame seeds, papaya, melon rind; Palate - Starts rich, evolves with density, finishes long; Food Pairings - Grilled salmon, mushroom risotto, roasted chicken
• 2008 Avenius Red: Aromas - Brooding black, red and dried fruit with a slight sur maturité. Violets and rose petals. Dark chocolate and herbs; Palate - Warm, dark, lush, fleshy, and hedonistic with a refreshing acidity and ripe tannins; Food Pairings - Spicy barbecued ribs or leg of lamb
• 2012 Avenius Red: Aromas - Cassis and raspberry lift, smoke from the grill; Palate - Dense, sinewy, focused and linear with a griping, long finish.
• 2008 Late Harvest Vidal: Aromas - White flowers, sweet cream, straw, candle wax and nutmeg; Palate - Dense, focused and elegant, a bit honeyed with a long, bright ginger-like finish.
• 2010 Late Harvest Vidal: Aromas - Orange marmalade, preserved lemon, Christmas spices; Palate - Honey, rich, unctuous, decadent; Food Pairings - Triple cream cheeses, pate

Linden Vineyard was a great experience. Sonia our guide and Powel at the counter were very knowledgeable and well informed about the facilities and process as well as the wines themselves during the tasting. We even meet Jim Law when we arrived and asked a couple questions during our tour. I hope to go back later in the summer when the weather is nicer. It was cold and windy so we did not get to spend much time outside.

                    

                                                  Entrance to Linden Vineyard