Style

This is a very adult style Chardonnay. The nose has classic Hardscrabble apple notes with a bit of vanilla and toast from barrel aging. The focus of this wine is its length and persistence. It goes on forever.

Food Pairings

Grilled salmon or swordfish, hearty grains such as wild rice, farro or quinoa

Vineyards

Hardscrabble Vineyard is on top of the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Deep, well-drained mineral soils give acidity and good structure. Primarily from old vines planted in the 1980s.

Vintage

June and all of July was very dry. Shoot growth was less than normal with very little hedging needed. Young vines and less water retentive soils showed some drought stress. We needed rain, but not the 3.5 inches that fell over a few hours on August 11. The rest of August was uneventful allowing clusters to lose some compactness.

A forecast can sometimes become confused with reality. The beginning of harvest is best remembered by the threats of Harvey, Irma, Maria and Jose. They were no shows, with little affect on quality. However fears of their potential impact did influence initial picking decisions, but then weather patterns calmed and the rest of the harvest was ideal. Hardscrabble Chardonnay harvest was September 8 and 11, 2017.

Winemaking

Chilled grapes were sorted, pressed, juice settled and then barrel fermented warm (70's F) in new (20%) and slightly used (80%) French oak. No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 11months, and then in tank (sur lie) for an additional 6 months. Bottled March 2019. 1,946 bottles produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for many years past vintage. Best by 2027. Alcohol 13.0%.

Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2017 Vintage | 2017 Linden Hardscrabble Chardonnay