Library Wines | September 2–4, 2022
2015 Hardscrabble Red
Structured. 2015 was a classic vintage. Classic can mean many things. For us it means normal and average. This is what we plan on when planting our vines. This is a wine of terroir. It unveils who we are. It is not rich, it is not fruity, it is not big. But it is structured with firm tannins and fresh acidity. It is classic Hardscrabble with bramble fruit, forest floor, balsam on the nose.
RdV and Linden regularly meet and taste. These technical tastings are held in the mornings when our palates are fresh. This week’s tasting was 2015 Bordeaux blends. Linden’s Hardscrabble Red was part of a line up that included Sassica, Ridge, Rauzan-Segla, and Spotteswood.
In the tasting, Hardscrabble did not show that well. In the ballpark, yes, but certainly not a “wow” wine.
Later that afternoon, back at Linden, we re-tasted and the order was reversed. The Hardscrabble sung. This confirmed our skepticism of the beauty contest approach to wine. Our palates and wines can change over a very short period of time. Was it because the bottle had been open for 8 hours, or because we tasted at a different time, a different place and in a different order?
Each weekend Linden features an older vintage from our wine library for tasting. Additionally, Friends of Linden can purchase a carafe of the wine to enjoy on the deck. Unfortunately we rarely have enough stock to purchase by the bottle.
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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Library Wines: August 26–28, 2022