Style

Aromas of exotic spices and crème brûlée that carry to the mid palate. Apricots. Layered and long.

Food Pairings

Rich, decadent, fatty, and salty dishes; or desserts that feature fruits—especially apricots, peaches, pears or dried fruits. Very ripe triple cream cheeses and sheep cheeses from the Pyrenees and Virginia.

Vineyard

Hardscrabble Vineyard (100%), Fauquier County, on top of the Blue Ridge at an elevation of 1300 feet on a northeastern slope. Deep, well-drained granitic soils. Own rooted Vidal vines were planted in 1985 with additional plantings in 1998 and 2002. Wine yield was 20hl/H .

Vintage

Climate is what you plan for and weather is what you get. This is why the somewhat unremarkable 2014 growing season was so good—we got what we planned for.

A very long, cold winter damaged some vines and delayed spring. A late start to spring can end up as a very late harvest, which favors our Late Harvest style as the grapes ripened under very cool conditions.
Spring and midsummer lay the foundation of the vintage, but late August through mid-October determine the style, character, and quality of the wines. The beginning of harvest started in early September. It was typical of the “cat and mouse” picking strategies that we are all now accustomed to. A few days of sunny delightful weather followed by showers characterized the start of harvest.

2014 gave us perfect botrytis conditions. Vidal ripened slowly under cooler October and November conditions. Botrytis (noble rot) infected about 75% of the berries by harvest time. Harvest was November 5, 2014.

Winemaking

100% Vidal, the grapes are frozen and pressed while frozen. Only the first thawed juice is used (a.k.a. ice-wine). The wine fermented slowly in old French oak. This wine becomes more honeyed with age. Bottled in February 2016. 11.4% alcohol, 9.24 grams/l acid and 141 grams of residual sugar. Best by 2028. 1,080 bottles of 375ml bottles produced.

Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2014 Vintage | 2014 Late Harvest Vidal