Tasting notes: November 2018
I am somewhat surprised that this vintage of Hardscrabble Chardonnay still shows reasonable  freshness and poise given the warmer vintage and lower acidity. It is the last vintage of Linden's "ripe style" chardonnay. The aromas are complex showing soft, ripened pear,  candied orange rind and pastry dough. This follows through on the palate with a juicy, round, generous, creamy entry. Some oak still lingers, but the finish slowly fades after the initial big palate impression. Drinking well now, and will hold for a few more years, but will probably not benefit from additional aging.

Tasting notes: November 2016
Golden color; sweet golden delicious apple and very ripe melon on nose. Rich and weighty with lots of volume. Enough acidity to keep it fresh. Drink now with pleasure. (JL)

Palate

Full bodied, yeasty, sappy concentration with moderate acidity and a slightly toasty finish.

Aromas

Ripe Golden Delicious apple, hazelnuts and wet straw.

Food Pairings

Rich fish (salmon or swordfish), roasted chicken with lemon thyme, Mushroom dishes.

Vineyard

Hardscrabble Vineyard (100%), Fauquier Co. on top of the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Deep, well drained rocky, mineral soils give depth, structure and length. Chardonnay vines age from 12 to 21 years. Yields average 3 tons per acre (45 hl/H).

Vintage

The vintage started very slowly with a very cool spring, delaying bud break several weeks past normal. Early summer was slightly dry and cool, but became progressively warmer. A welcomed hot August helped accelerate veraison and ripening. We were still a few days behind normal ripening as September gave us perfect warm days and cool nights. The Chardonnay grapes had wonderful concentration and aromatics. Acids were lower than normal. Little or no sorting was required. There was essentially no rain in September, which gave great concentration and sap to the wines. Harvest was October 3, 2005.

Winemaking

Grapes were sorted and lightly crushed into the press. Only free run juice from two distinct vineyard blocks were used. All native yeast and spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Barrel fermented in one to four year old French oak barrels. Aged on lees for 10 months with minimal stirring. Bottled in August 2006. 378 cases produced.

Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2005 Vintage | 2005 Hardscrabble Chardonnay