Linden Vineyards
May 25, 2024. Hello Readers! It has been a while since we last posted. We have been doing some traveling out of state, but we’re back!
We used a warm morning on the Memorial Day weekend to revisit one of the great Virginia wineries with some friends – Linden Vineyards - which is a few minutes south of the crossroads that constitute the town of Linden in western Fauquier County. During our visit we spoke with owner and founder, Jim Law, and his son-in law, Alex Wilde, who poured for us. Thanks to both of them for their time.
Much has been written about Linden over the years, and much by Jim Law himself. A native of Ohio, Jim got a start in agriculture in the 1970’s when he served as an agricultural volunteer with the Peace Corps in Africa. He loved working with fruit crops and on returning to the States, with wine and growing grapes. His first experiences in the grape field came in Indiana but there was no market there for fine dry wines. Then he received an offer to work on a vineyard in the Shenandoah in 1981. He, wife Peggy and his parents, Nancy and Dick Law, purchased the 76 acres in Linden in 1983 after several years of looking for vineyard land with high elevations and east facing slopes. After clearing trees, they planted the first eight acres of the Hardscrabble Vineyard in 1985. This was Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, and Seyval Blanc. Linden incorporated in 1986 and produced its first commercial vintage in 1987.
After nearly 40 years in winemaking, Jim’s most enjoyable work remains tending to his vines. He has a sinewy look, strong-muscled wrists and forearms of a farmer dedicated to pruning and nursing his plants, trim blond-grey beard and pony-tail, and sharp eyes that miss no signs of distress in the vines.
Lauded as one of the best Virginia wineries (cf. Jancis Robinson, Oz Clarke, Karen McNeil, the Wine Advocate), Linden became at one point a victim of its own success. Once word got out, tons of young drinkers took the pilgrimage to Hardscrabble Mountain, inundating the small winery on weekends. I must confess that we were among those throngs back then. Long-term patrons complained so much that in 2008 Jim instituted new policies to reduce traffic: only Case Club members had access to the deck, picnic areas. Only they could buy wines by the glass on weekends. To be in the Case Club, all you had to do was buy a case of wine. While the total annual cost was not out of line for Virginia wine clubs, Linden required buying the whole case in a single transaction rather than the more typical 3 bottles a quarter. This was quite taxing on the old cash-flow.
Today, the Case Club has been replaced by the “Friends of Linden” wine club. To join you need only buy six bottles at one time, not a whole case. Linden maintains very limited access policies for people who are not Friends of Linden. Casual tasters, like us, have to make a reservation, groups can be no larger than four people. And people who are not Friends of Linden can stay after their tasting only if the facilities are not crowded. On our visit, Alex told us that we were only able to enjoy a baguette on the deck after our tasting because the winery was not crowded at the time. Generally, food offerings are scant, and no outside food is allowed. Also, this is a 21+ winery. And no pets either. If you can stay, you’ll find the deck and patio are nicely appointed in hardwoods and easy chairs looking down the hill across the Hardscrabble Vineyard.
You’d be well-advised to line-up another destination in western Fauquier because you may not be able to linger at Linden very long. Jim admitted that the pandemic left them treading water doing the best they could under the circumstances. Their future plans are to widen distribution but not to liberalize access.
The focus at Linden is on wine – not special events and celebrations. The only event at Linden in the past 25+ years was Alex’s wedding to Jim’s daughter, Samantha. But they had an “in” with the boss. There are no plans to change that. Our friends fondly remembered that Linden also had orchards of heirloom apples and blueberries to pick back in the 1990’s. The Black Twig is gone now in favor of vineyards.
Linden is also not about competitions. They won the Virginia Governor’s Cup in 1994 and have not entered since, so far as I can tell. Alex tells us that one factor is the timing: having to make a substantial commitment of wine in October is a serious distraction from the winemaking process just as having Virginia Wine Month in October. Maybe if submissions were moved to November or December or January…? (I note that the latest Cup rules require submissions by mid-November of only four 750ml bottles per wine entered, plus a $100.00 administrative fee for some wineries.)
Jim Law is a firm advocate for terroir-driven wine. The source of terroir wine is the vineyard not the lab or cellar. The fewer intrusions from the winemaker, Jonathan Weber, the more the wine will express its place and climate. When I asked Jim whether there was a “Virginia Terroir,” Jim firmly said: “No.” Virginia is a political entity with too many microclimates and variations in soil for there to be a single terroir. Instead, each site should express itself. From the original Hardscrabble Vineyard of some 17 acres that surrounds the tasting room at Linden, Jim has added the 5-acre Avenius Vineyard (1996), their coolest vineyard and last to harvest, producing Burgundy-style whites and reds, and the 4-acre Boisseau Vineyard planted in 2000, their warmest site and earliest to harvest, producing wines reminiscent of the Southern Rhȏne. All of Linden wines come from these three vineyards, amounting to around 4,000 cases of wine a year depending on the harvest.
One of the biggest positive changes in the Virginia wine industry that Jim has seen is the recognition by most of the wineries that soil and location matter. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the hobbyists grape growers would prioritize closeness to the highway for drive-by sales instead of the natural gifts or drawbacks of their site. Today, people starting wineries are much more thoughtful about possible vineyard sites, much more research goes into finding a good site for the grapes to be grown. According to Jim’s reminiscence “One Place, One Life” (2017), higher elevations for air flow and delayed ripening and well-drained soil continue to be the primary considerations, but everything else about soil and climate had be discovered adapted to over his career.
Jim has written extensively about the impact of climate change trends in the vineyard. He is constantly looking for the best sites for traditional Bordeaux varietals, plus Chardonnay and Viognier. He pulled out his Riesling as his sites may be too warm for that varietal. Currently, he is raising 23 other varietals to test for grapes that may produce quality wines in this climate. He mentioned Fiano in particular, an Italian grape that his friend Luca Paschina is trying at Barboursville. He mentioned trying the Austrian grape, Grüner Veltiner. When he began Hardscrabble, Jim grew the hybrids Seyval Blanc and Vidal Blanc. No longer. In fact, when we asked about hybrids and their place, if any, in his plans to address climate change, Jim said that he might consider growing hybrids if he could find an “inspiring sample.” So far, however, he feels that hybrids can produce acceptable wine, but not fine quality wine.
Alex Wilde led us on a very informative tasting of seven Linden wines. He may be part of the next generation at Linden. Alex reported that he left his job to work full time at the Vineyard. He is expecting a son, their second child. We admire his commitment in the face of how uncertain the winery business can be. Here’s what we tasted:
2018 Village Chardonnay. We started with a blended Chardonnay taking grapes from all three vineyards, but predominately Hardscrabble. Linden favors acidic whites and this one was crisp with a good length. Kim rated it a C+.
The tasting featured two Chardonnays from the Hardscrabble Vineyard – highlighting the difference of vintage. Back in the day, our circle of friends thought of Linden Chardonnay as the highest expression of that grape. Linden today continues to favor whites. They appear to achieve their depth through sur lie aging rather than malolactic fermentation and from barrel aging in old French oak, not new oak that might overpower the fruit.
2020 Hardscrabble Chardonnay. Called a classic Chardonnay. The 2020 edition is medium bodied with no malo to soften the palate. Some vanilla. Kim rated it a C+ due to cost ($48.00).
2019 Hardscrabble Chardonnay.. The 2019 version of the Chardonnay has more fruit and rounds-out some of the acid. More sur lie aging. Good mid-palate body. This was a little more reasonably priced. B.
The tasting featured two wines of the same grape but different vineyards, highlighting terroir. Hardscrabble has granite soils whereas Avenius has shale. Alex even showed us rock samples from the two sites the differences in the rocks.
2021 Hardscrabble Sauvignon Blanc. The Hardscrabble Sauvignon Blanc was a bite on the tongue from its citrus acidity even with some contribution in the blend from Semillon. Nevertheless, I found it more nuanced than the Avenius version that follows. Rated a B.
2021 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc. The Linden tasting notes indicate that the Avenius Sauvignon Blanc has more minerality than its cousin from Hardscrabble, which translated to a milder feel on the palate, even stone fruit flavor. Kim rated this one a C+.
The final two wines were Reds.
2020 Claret. As the name implies, Linden’s Claret is a blend of Bordeaux red varietals: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. Nice “Left-Bank” Bordeaux with medium body, balanced tannins, and appreciable finish. B+
2020 Petit Verdot. Our final wine was Linden’s 2020 Petit Verdot. This was strong and tannic, a serious wine for heavier food. Stainless steel aging preserves some acidity that sems to produce an overall longer finish. Rated a B.
There are few wineries in the Commonwealth that can match Linden for its reputation for quality although that comes with a price. It just may be worth your while to join the club.
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