2022 Linden Vineyards - Village Chardonnay Virginia (750ml)

Linden Vineyards sits on top of the Blue Ridge in Fauquier County, Virginia, and takes its inspiration from the villages of Burgundy. Its Village Chardonnay is made from younger vines and select parcels of its vineyards, and it avoids buttery, oaky, tropical, or sweet notes. Each vintage speaks more of the growing season than of a single site.

The 2022 blend is 82 percent Hardscrabble and 18 percent Boisseau. Hardscrabble vines, planted in 2016, grow at 1,300 to 1,400 feet on an east-to-south slope, where deep, well-drained mineral soils give acidity and structure. Boisseau, in the Shenandoah Valley, was planted in 2000 to Dijon clones 96 and 76 on a west-facing bluff with clay and silt loam. The season was inconsistent, with four inches of snow after budbreak, but a dry, sunny September ripened the fruit, which was picked on September 19, 21, and 26. The wine is a blend of declassified barrels from both sites.

Clean and fresh, the nose is pungent with lime zest and mineral notes. The palate shows real density and length, with a taut, citrus-driven frame and a finish that lingers. Pure and precise, it is one of the winery’s favorite Village Chardonnays and punches well above its weight class.