Linden Vineyards - Virginia - Part 1

The one constant we heard during our East Coast winery visits was: see Jim Law at Linden Vineyards. And, without a doubt, we found Jim to be one of the most talented, dedicated and knowledgeable individuals weve met - anywhere! Purchasing an abandoned farm in 1983, Jim began planting vines from cuttings and grafts in 1985. Varieties included Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Vidal and Seyval. The first vintage was 1987 and the winery was opened in 1988.

Jim has been experimenting here with different varieties, placement, trellising, and so on over many recent years, and from the end product, it seems theyre getting closer to defining the mid-Atlantic region. All of this presented an interesting dichotomy out in the vineyard. Jim had recently replaced a block with new denser plantings - like babies, small and petite; while back behind us, stood an army of tall wooden lyre trellises, waiting for the older vines to climb to the top. We also noted that Jim seems to enjoy the same challenge himself, and the Blue Ridge climate and growing conditions apparently afford him that very opportunity. Even though Jim seems to be at the forefront of all of this experimentation, he also admits there is a long way to go. Were still young. We dont have all the answers yet, he told us. Not too dissimilar to what one hears from almost any winegrower on the West Coast.
Join us as we talk with Jim Law, and take a fascinating look at East Coast viticulture - Virginia style!

Sponsor: North Berkeley Imports: www.northberkeleyimports.com

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[danjanetos]

Generally soils are generalized by major and vast regions. |t is interesting that there are three soils in a very small space.

I completley agree that our society and economic sales of wines are based too much on the grape varietals because in tastings i find that when you give a grape a specific taste profile it does not hold true and needs more specific factors such as region, soil and vontage.