Linden Vineyards, Hardscrabble Vineyard, Linden VA
Like a D-list celebrity milking his latest meltdown in an attempt to achieve some semblance of-worth, so have I obnoxiously milked Taste Camp  for every last drop of content that one could squeeze out of 3 day weekend worth of wine tasting.
While I debated not writing this post, given the time that has passed since my visit (and since my vineyard walk notes have since been displaced), I felt it would be a shame not to highlight a visit to a vineyard owned by a man so well respected, cited, Â and as knowledgable as Mr. Jim “The Constable” Law. Â
Jim standing by his carmenère
As previously highlighted, the vineyard walks were by far the most educational part of the weekend, and our tour of Jim’s Hardscarbble Vineyard (which sits on the same property as the tasting room and winery) did not disappoint. Â Jim also sources grapes from nearby Avenuis and Boisseau Vineyards.
Jim’s love of wine came at a young age after his father was introduced to Chablis at a restaurant when he (his father) ordered a Budweiser to accompany his lobster.  From that moment, his father instilled a love of wine in Jim.  Following a tour in Africa with the Peace Corps where Jim learned to grow fruit, he landed in Virginia where he’s been pioneering Virginia grape growing and winemaking every since the mid-1980s.
After thirty-plus years working in his vineyard, Jim is still tweaking and modifying his plots, techniques, and plantings.  He tried growing carmenère, but found it too vigorous (too much vegetation, not enough grapes).  Instead, he’s grafted some merlot onto some of the carmenère rootstocks as an experiment, and will likely rip out the rest.
He also could not be more insistent that site selection is the most important factor for a vineyard.  His site  offers a steep slopes, rocky soils, at a high elevation.  This provides excellent air and water drainage.  Not only does his estate Hardscrabble vineyard make exceptional wine, but it offers exceptional views.
Following the tour we were treating to a select tasting of Jim’s wines on the crush pad.
2011 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc ($24): Â Â Despite the fact that 2011 was an awful vintage, as it rained for 30 days right at harvest, I found the 2011 whites poured all weekend to be pretty exceptional, all things considered. Â Although Jim wished he could have had 3-4 more days of sun to allow the grapes to rippen better, I found the 2011 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc to be very nice. Â The nose was full of granny smith apple, with a hint of mango. Â The palate had nice acidity with more granny smith apple, toast, and melon.
2009 Avenius Chardonnay ($26):  I’m not a huge fan of chardonnay, however, the more Virginia chardonnay I have, the more I like it.  The common denominator appears to be a lack of malolactic fermentation, as is the case with the 2009 Avenius Chardonnay.  The nose is full of toast and banana while the wine has a nice clean acidic taste with hints of white pepper.  It’s made in neutral oak.
2009 Hardscrabble Chardonnay ($33):  It was neat to taste the two chardonnays, of different vineyards, side by side.  The Hardscrabble was much more full bodied, the 10-15% of new French oak is responsible for a large part of that.  This one had a more buttery nose with hints of…wait for it… Asian pear.  (Not sure the laste time I’ve smelled Asian pear, but that’s what my notes say).  The palate also had some banana and offered a long finish.  Nice wine.
2008 Hardscrabble Red ($39): Â In what Jim called a “classic year”, thisA blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot and Merlot, offered a soft nose of blackberry and raspberry with wonderful balance, soft tannins and long finish.
2008 Avenius Red ($36): Â This is a blend of 72% Petit Verdot and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and is not for the faint of heart. Â This wine is nothing but rustic. Â The nose offers tobacco while the cherry notes dominate the long dry finish.
In short, a visit to Linden is a must for anyone looking for the best of what Virginia  has to offer given a great site and a meticulous “never content” farmer/wine maker.
