2015 Rosé

Palate

Very dry, light and refreshing, with a fair amount of acidity.

Aromas

Watermelon, savory, rhubarb, strawberry.

Food Pairings

A good wine for picnics or al fresco dining. Cold meats, cold seafood, smoked fish and tabouleh all work well.

Vineyard

Hardscrabble (70%): the estate vineyard on the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Deep, well-drained granite soils give cherry character and good structure. Vine ages from 3 to 27 years.

Boisseau (15%): Western facing with loamy soils, it is in the Shenandoah Valley in the town of Front Royal, about 6 miles from Linden.

Avenius Vineyard (15%) is located on the Blue Ridge one-half mile north of Linden Vineyards at an elevation of 1,300 feet on a steep east facing slope. Soils are well-drained, rocky, greenstone and granite.

Vintage

The winter of 2014/15 was colder than average, but unlike the winter of 2013/14, there was no vine or bud damage. Bud break was slightly late. May was unusually dry and consequentially accelerated growth and flowering. Right around flowering June turned very wet, however pollination and berry set was successful, as temperatures remained warm. Wet spells continued into July and we were bracing ourselves for a possible negative impact on wine quality. The rains stopped in mid-July, but shoot growth continued into early August, which is later than ideal. With a very dry August, vine growth stopped and vines were in good balance going into harvest.

September gave us ideal conditions for ripening. Threats of rain never came to fruition. Harvest was compressed with never a day off. Rains in late September forced an early picking of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, making these two grapes ideal candidates for Rosé production.

Several blocks or sections of Cabernet Sauvignon were dedicated to Rosé production in 2015, along with an unusual amount of Petit Verdot.

Winemaking

The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. This vintage’s Rosé came from and blend of grapes dedicated for Rosé and red grapes where a fraction of the juice was drained (bled) off. Aged sur lie in older 500 liter and 225 liter oak barrels, and a 600 liter concrete egg. 366 cases were bottled in February 2016. The alcohol is 12.7%.

 

Red WinesJim Law