Tag Archives: Linden Vineyards

Cocktail Hour

Posted on December 18, 2012 by AnnieRie

You know, sometimes you just want to chill out. Have a cocktail and watch the sunset.

It was a little too chilly to sit on the porch but we did enjoy the sunset from the dining room. What is better than kale chips and pastis.

What is pastis, you say? Pernod. Anise liqueur, poured over ice with a splash of water. Something we grew to love in Provence. Now, kale chips. They are amazing. We got kale in the CSA basket. I tossed it with oil, spices and salt. Baked it for ten minutes at 350 degrees.

We ended up having a lovely dinner, for a Tuesday night. Rockfish, mixed Chinese veggies, in the skillet. Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage, water chestnuts, with scallions, garlic and ginger. Some soy sauce and sesame oil. So satisfying.

The rockfish came from Harris Teeter. Veggies from the CSA. A simple slow food type of meal, served in the kitchen while taking a break from holiday preparations.

Served with a very nice Boisseau property Linden chardonnay. Not a bad dinner.

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Posted in CSA, Food, Locavore, Wine and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, Linden Vineyards, Locavore, real food, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

The Linden Library Tastings

Posted on December 17, 2012 by AnnieRie

Sold out in two days. Only 112 lucky case club members get this opportunity to participate in the first of the winter library wine tastings, at Linden Vineyards. It is one of the really great things about their wines. Their ability to age, and age gracefully. The day before Thanksgiving we all got emails. Sign up for small 90 minute tastings in the new tasting room, over January and February. Wines from the library, accompanied by discussions with the owner/grower/winemaker, Jim Law and his other growers.

We were graced with the presence of Jim Law, and with Shari Avenius. This tasting featured Hardscrabble wines. We arrived early for our noon appointment, seeing the winery decked out for the holidays.

The wines were selected to showcase the aging potential, and paired with a benchmark wine, the whites with a white burgundy, and the reds with a Bordeaux. The selected benchmark wines were in the same price strata as the Linden wines, to give you a fair comparison.

We all introduced ourselves. Eight of us, with Jim and Shari. Three of our four couples had been drinking these wines since the late 1980s and early 1990s. We all know how well they age. The sheets:

Yes, that is not a typo. We tasted an exquisite 1997 Chardonnay Reserve, reminiscent of stellar old white burgundies. Proof that Virginia has the potential to make long lived big wines, the kind that keep and improve with age. I did not take my camera into the tasting room, as we were just intent on enjoying the rare time to question and discuss wine with Jim. Alas, we have none of these in our cellar. The oldest chardonnay we have is 2007.

As for the reds, the 1999 is just luscious. Thankfully, we have quite a few of those here. Plus, we just drank our last 1991 in September, and I wrote about it. What was funny was that we brought up a 1999 to open in case the 1991 was bad. Obviously, if you read my other post, you know it was still hanging in there. We also have some of the 2006 in the cellar.

We had a small plate of charcuterie from a local butcher to accompany the reds. The Whole Ox, in The Plains. We have to go there. We were served a lovely pate, some andouille sausage, and bresaola.

Our last wine was a 2002 Late Harvest Vidal. Dark and dense, slightly acidic but sweet. Really paired well with the pate. All in all, worth the time and the money to go to these tastings. You can see how Virginia wines can age, and how 20 years for a red, and 15 for a white are possible with the right handling and wine making skill.

Right outside the entrance to the tasting room are those original Chardonnay vines, planted in 1985. Right conditions, well cared for, and in good years like 1997, and the latest vintage, 2009, capable of becoming greater with age. We luckily have a case of the Hardscrabble 2009 Chardonnay in the cellar, and a case of the red Bordeaux blend from 2009. A very good year in VA for wines. Getting these wines is sometimes tough, as the case club members buy then out quickly.

The 2009 Hardscrabble red was just released to the general public this month. Get some. You won’t regret it. For a treat, wander down this winter on a Friday, sit in the cozy nook by the fire, and enjoy locally made sausage and cheeses with a warm baguette.

Even on a misty rainy day, sitting there and relaxing is one of our simple pleasures. They have glasses, bottles and half bottles available to taste. In the winter, they are more lenient about the patio being reserved for case club members on weekends. In the crazy summer months, weekends are reserved for the hundreds of us who belong to the case club. It is our reward for our loyalty. I actually recommend that people go on Fridays to avoid the crowds. Being easily accessed off of I-66 sometimes means huge numbers of people in a small tasting space. Reminds me of Napa Valley. Amazing how Virginia has grown as a wine industry.

My First Week in our Winter Challenge

Posted on December 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

I will be finishing this first week in our Winter Challenge, by making venison chili dogs tonight. I did the venison chili earlier this week.

leftover chili

While out yesterday, I picked up some hot dogs and a couple of fresh chickens at England Acres. I am glad I decided to go get the chickens as fifteen minutes after I got there, a couple came in and bought the last eight in the cooler. No more fresh chickens until next spring. The hot dogs will get the chili coating tonight.

These hot dogs are not precooked, so Judy at the farm recommended I put the chili with the hot dogs in the oven on a low setting and let the dogs cook in the chili. Then, pull them out and serve them in rolls or on bread. Besides the chili dogs, we will have the last of the spinach in a salad, and nibble on some fresh veggies with Bowling Greens jalapeno cheese spread. Great football food. Open a local beer and we have a simple dinner. Mostly local.

Dinner last night, which was supposed to be leftovers turned into a local feast. I couldn’t resist roasting one of my two chickens.

free range chicken ready for the oven

The bed is leeks, onions, carrots, and celery, all from the CSA. The chicken has my pesto and some butter, rubbed under the skin. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Put about four cups of water in the pan, because there will be chicken stock coming from it as well. I added the innards of the chicken to that pan, so it all cooked down into amazingly rich stock.

The finished product. After carving an serving, I did put all the rest of the carcass back in the pan, and returned it to the oven to make enough stock for four pints.

This chicken was so moist and tender. You can not beat fresh chicken like this. Just as you can’t beat those fresh turkeys we get from Maple Lawn. I served it with brussels sprouts from TLV, picked up while we got our roping to decorate the front door. My kind of brussels sprouts.

TLV brussels sprouts

The steamed sprouts joined some fingerlings from the CSA on the plate. They were parboiled. Butter from Trickling Springs, and a Linden Seyval Blanc. A local meal. Not what I originally planned for dinner, but sometimes you find things at the market which just scream to be made that day.

The salad was only partially local, but the baby spinach was organic, and the feta was from Bowling Green Farm. The orange was bought at England Acres. She sells fresh citrus from small farms in Florida. After all, we don’t seem to have that many citrus farms in Maryland. The dressing, a honey mustard I made. Not my best effort. I need to work on this dressing.

The wine, from the hybrid grape, seyval blanc, was perfect with chicken.

You can’t go wrong with this wine. Lemony, crisp, light and refreshing. It is so nice to see wine that hasn’t been drowning in oak barrels. It is a wine, though, that needs to be drunk when it is young. Also perfect with the spinach salad.

All in all, a good first week in our Eat Local Challenge. I am so glad to have the local farms keep their farm stands open all winter. I hit Breezy Willow for cheeses and meat. England Acres for the chicken and hot dogs, and a few veggies and bread. And, at TLV picked up those lovely brussels sprouts.

hocofood@@@

Significant Birthdays

Posted on November 19, 2012 by AnnieRie

Sort of significant. Not the divisible by five ones, like 55 or 60. Those are the ones we celebrate by going out to dinner. Otherwise, I make a simple tasty meal with a killer wine for a fraction of the restaurant cost.

Today was sort of significant for my husband. Sixty two. Old enough to receive Social Security. That is a milestone. He was out all day with his radio buddies, fixing cable on the towers used for field day. They did bring him cupcakes to celebrate. I knew he would be out all day, so I just made one of those simple dinners with first class ingredients.

Anyone can make something this easy. The food cost me less than $25 total for the two of us. The wine, a splurge, RdV Rendezvous. Still dinner for under three figures. Find somewhere that serves petite filet this good, for $12 a person. Please let me know if you do.

The salad was microgreens, arugula, radishes and tomatoes, with a bleu cheese dressing. Steamed broccoli with the same dressing. Filets from Harris Teeter. They really looked good when I was there last week. These were fork tender steaks. Pan seared, then finished in the oven. Nothing but garlic powder, salt, pepper. and balsamic on them before cooking. Put in the hot pan from room temperature. Then, about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven to cook to medium rare.

The 2009 RdV Rendezvous was just this amazingly huge wine. Dark, deep, full of tannin and with a very long finish. Perfect with the beef.

Later on tonight, I will open a late harvest Petit Manseng with some aged Parmesan, for dessert. No more sweets today. The wine with the cheese is a great pairing, and a very good dessert for us. The wine is a 2005, from Linden. Here’s to sort of significant birthdays.

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Posted in Food, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, Linden Vineyards, traditions, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Thanksgiving Wines

Posted on November 18, 2012 by AnnieRie

One of the hardest dinners to pick a wine to match. We get to bring wines to my brother’s house every year, as we have the cellar and have been collecting for a very long time. But, our older reds aren’t the perfect match for the turkey, particularly when other dishes would compete with them. Easter is always easy for me, since he makes lamb. Christmas generally he has a Smithfield ham and we always have shrimp, so a nice white works there.

Thanksgiving though, drives me nuts with choosing the pairings. One of the couples only drinks reds so I considered getting this year’s Nouveau. I do hear it’s slim pickings due to a small harvest.

I think I finally settled on what I am taking. I need to come up with four bottles total, to cover the number of people. These were the choices and they all will complement the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and won’t be totally messed up by the sauerkraut, that Maryland anomaly on the table. 😉

locapour dominating the Thanksgiving choices

It turns out I will be bringing the three local wines on the left, and not the Hillinger. I may take that down for Christmas as it will fit better there. The Vidal Riesling is my mom’s favorite. It has a little spritz and is an off dry wine, but not too sweet. It really goes well with the stuffing, if you use a spicy sausage in it. It is a perfect wine for novices to drinking wine, but has enough structure to make a wine lover happy. I will take one of those.

The other two wines are pretty big rose wines. Linden’s is made dominantly from their merlot. Breaux’s is a blend of Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin. 2011 was the year Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee did a number on the red grapes in the area. Wineries like Linden and Breaux used some interesting red grapes to make these wines. They didn’t try to force big red wines from grapes that had too much rain dilute their structure. It became a year with many very good roses, and there are some decent light reds out there in Virginia from 2011.

These two will both pair nicely with a Thanksgiving dinner. As for what we will be opening on the weekend when I make my turkey, it will probably be a Maryland red. My weekend Thanksgiving turkey, bought from Maple Lawn, and served with stuffing made with local bread and sausage, and CSA veggies, will be grilled if the weather holds. I am thinking of opening one of the Black Ankle pinot noirs. We have two of them from their first vintage, 2008. I think it is a better choice than the Syrah, which is bigger.

It is nice that there are such good wines made locally. You do have to search for the better wineries around here, but you can usually find something that meets your needs. Making this locavore a locapour as well.

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Posted in Family, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Wine and tagged cooking, family, Food, foodie, grilling, Linden Vineyards, Locavore, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

My Ultimate Comfort Food

Posted on November 3, 2012 by AnnieRie

Bean soup. Every fall I have this urge to make bean soup from scratch. Just like the soups I had as a child, and those lovely Navy bean soups at White Oak, the Pentagon and the Navy Yard.

my homemade crock pot bean soup

Bean soup made creamy without using milk or cream. Tonight it will be “what’s for dinner” and it is definitely not local, except for the ham and the base veggies. I started with a bag of Bob’s Red Mill cranberry beans.

I like these beans for many reasons. I know they aren’t traditional for Navy bean soup, but they are high in protein and potassium and I always have at least one bag of them in the pantry. I get mine at Roots or Davids Natural Market. You can sometimes find them elsewhere. I used the entire bag to make this soup.

I added a quart of Pacific Low Sodium Chicken Stock. I don’t have a quart of homemade stock at the moment, I need to make some, and when I don’t have homemade, this is a staple also in my pantry. I buy it in bulk at Costco.

The veggies in this dish are simple. A medium white onion, diced. One leek, cleaned and cut in pieces. Celery, cut from the entire head of celery in order to mix the leaves and the stalks (about the equivalent of three-four stalks of celery). I want the beans and the ham to be the dominant flavors here so I go easy on the veggies, and I added some oregano, thyme, and parsley, all dried, about 1/2 tbsp of each. I salt to taste, so can’t give an amount. A tsp of Emeril’s Essence, and a tsp of pepper.

The best part of this soup is the smoked ham steaks I bought from TLV Tree Farm a few weeks back. A pound of them. Three slices, two thick and one end with all the smoky goodness.

These ham steaks are lightly smoked, and are bone in. I cubed most of the meat, and definitely included the bone in the pot while cooking, as well as the fat edge.

removing the bone once the soup is done

To serve with the soup tonight, I will choose a big white wine, just don’t know which one. Either of these will work. The Linden 2009 Hardscrabble is a big Burgundian style chardonnay, and the Pearmund Old Vine is from the Meriwether plantings on their property. A bit more oaky than the Linden.

With the soup, I will be serving the olive and feta focaccia I bought at Glenwood Market from the Breadery. It will be heated in the oven on the pizza stone with a drizzle of lemon olive oil from St. Helena Olive Oil Co., my favorite source from Napa.

I may even remember to take pictures tonight, but dinner will be whenever we can squeeze it in, if the contesting husband of mine takes a break. Or, I may be giving him a bowl of soup down in his radio shack and having mine in front of the TV. I’ll just need to cut the focaccia in small strips. If I take pics, I will update my post later with them.

This soup made enough for at least three meals, maybe four, so Monday night will also be a soup night, and the rest will be frozen in a small container to heat up for lunches until it is gone. As for the way to make creamy soup without milk, use the blender. It is a little messy to do, and don’t overfill the blender with hot soup. I blend about a third of the soup, taking care to get mostly beans and avoid chunks of ham. It turns stock and beans into a creamy consistency, but leaving much of it chunky to show what is in it.

Here’s to soup night! Stay warm!

bean soup with ham

Updated to add the pic of dinner —

bean soup, focaccia and chardonnay

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Posted in Farmer's Markets, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, SSFC, Wine and tagged cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, CSA, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, Linden Vineyards, local businesses, Locavore, real food, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Leaf Peeping and A Winery Visit

Posted on October 19, 2012 by AnnieRie

In the Shenandoah. Near the Appalachian Trail. The leaves are in full color these days. A good weekend to enjoy them. We had a date to meet a fellow radio amateur to pick up a crank up tower. He lives near Manassas. I don’t need an excuse to head west on I-66 and find some fall color.

the view from Linden

And, of course, add some chardonnay and rosé to our cellar. I like to get rosé to take to my brother’s for Thanksgiving. He cooks. I bring wine. Nice arrangement we have. The day started out a little dreary but got better as we drove west. I love sitting in the enclosed sun room and taking in the views.

Have a little cheese and sausage, with a Hardscrabble Chardonnay. Believe it or not, it does well with the sausage. The cheeses and sausage are local VA made. And, the 2009 Hardscrabble is a huge chardonnay. The type you want to put away for a few years. It will only get better.

The vineyard itself was lovely, as the grape vines are turning color as well as the trees and shrubs. The parking lot was full, so we were down in the overflow. Lots of leaf peepers out. Everyone was pouring wine today, including Jim and Shari. Haven’t seen Shari since the barrel tasting so it was nice to visit today. I bet the coming weekends are going to be crazy with the weather prediction of sunny and 70s. We did check out some of the grapes near the winery. Still a few clusters hanging. I know the late harvest grapes are still out there. The rest have been harvested.

We took the back roads home. Loving the views along the way.

leaving Linden

somewhere near Rectortown

Trying to identify what this is — have not seen it before. Off to check out my naturalist books.

Unidentified plants, all along the edge of a property near Purcellville

All in all a great day. Oh, and the second time near Atoka where an eagle flew over us. As usual, too fast for me to grab the camera, but that white head is so distinct. If you have time this weekend head west and check out the foliage. Even better, check out a winery. Grape vines are beautiful in the fall.

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Posted in Day Trips, Food, Locavore, Nature, Weather, Wine and tagged amateur radio, day trips, fall foliage, Food, Linden Vineyards, Locavore, nature, weather, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Masters of Wine … And Food

Posted on October 8, 2012 by AnnieRie

This is an extremely creative, interesting collection of people for a panel. Making for an entertaining evening. Sharing their thoughts and interacting with the guests at RdV on Sunday night. The after dinner discussion about the VA wines and where they want to go was worth the price of admission.

The panel in the caves at RdV

From left to right:
Rutger de Vink, RdV Vineyards, Delaplane, VA
Luca Paschina, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville, VA
Jim Law, Linden Vineyards, Linden, VA
Andrew Myers Sommelier, CityZen, Washington D.C.
Eric Ziebold Chef, CityZen, Washington, D.C.

The panel convened in the cave after the dinner, a Picnic-Style Reception by Chef Eric Ziebold, CityZen.

The Menu:

Assorted Fall Canapés served with Linden Vineyards Vidal Riesling
Canapés included such highlights as “pork and beans” made with assorted green beans and bacon, a veal terrine, sliced prosciutto and saucisson, an heirloom tomato salad, and seafood salad.

The first station on the terrace was:
Grilled Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Flank
Late Summer Squash Couscous
2009 RdV Vineyards, Rendezvous, Virginia

The second station outside:
Grilled Chesapeake Bay Rockfish
Hominy, Corn, Lobster Emulsion
1997 Linden, Fiery Run Red, Virginia
1998 Barbourville, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Virginia

The third station, inside the winery:
Marinated Beef Tri-Tip
Chanterelle Mushrooms, Marble Potatoes, Bone Marrow Vinaigrette
1996 Diamond Creek, Red Rock Terrace, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (from the chef’s cellar)

The last station:
Grilled Duck Breast
Roasted Figs, Fennel, Cornbread Croûtons,
Black Pepper-Foie Gras Emulsion
2009 Mount Veeder, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

The dining areas were situated around the first level of the winery and stations were spread out enough that you could always find very little traffic other than the immediate crush when they first opened the event. There were 60 people in attendance, ambassadors who have purchased packages of RdV to join, and a group that we found by talking to them that had been invited through MacArthur Beverages.

main dining area for the dinner at RdV

Let’s just say that by the end of the evening, the ranks of ambassadors grew as evidenced by the number of boxes being carried out of the winery.

2009 RdV Rendezvous

After the panel, dessert was served with coffee. At that point, we were so saturated with wine, food, and conversation that I completely forgot to record the particulars of the decadence on the plate. I will have to wait until Carol Joynt publishes her Washingtonian piece. At least her blog gave some pictures of fish on the grill out in the rain. I got the link finally and saw that the dessert was made with ginger shortbread, chocolate ganache, and marshmallows torched making a very sophisticated s’more.

Highlights for us included the opportunity to taste the 1998 Barboursville, as we still have two bottles in our cellar. Luca brought magnums to the event. This wine got so much better as it had the chance to breathe. At first, it was still closed in and more austere than the Linden 1997 Fiery Run. For us, the Linden and the Diamond Creek were our favorites, as we prefer mature wines. The Rendezvous and Mt Veeder, both 2009 vintages were way too young to drink. Of the 2009s, the Rendezvous was more approachable, but still not something we want to open yet. It needs to get that bottle age first.

Benefit of living here. Evenings like this in the Virginia mountain foothills.

Event Overload

Posted on October 7, 2012 by AnnieRie

This weekend is second in a string of picture perfect fall weekends when it seems every community, farm, winery and/or entertainment organization is creating a pile up (an amateur radio term used when large numbers of operators simultaneously try to contact one rare station). I couldn’t even begin to list every event happening in Howard County and the surrounding area.

Today, my husband popped up to the Columbia Amateur Radio Association (CARA) annual HamFest to pick up a few supplies and visit his radio compatriots, even though it is raining. He had to dodge biking racers on the way, I suppose, as the Ulman Cancer Fund half full triathlon originating at Centennial winds through our rural roads between us and the fairgrounds.

The Farm City Celebration ends today, the 7th. Here is a list of what remains on their schedule.

Howard County Farmer’s Market – three more weeks of markets until season ends
Oakland Mills Village Center
9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Apple Fritters, Hayrides, & Pick-Your-Own Apples, Beets, Broccoli, and Spinach.
Straw Maze & Boo Barn (ages 4 to 9)
Larriland Farm
9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Teddy Bear Farm Visits (Free hayrides for children who bring Teddy bear)
Folk singer Tony McGuffin entertains from 12 noon – 4:00 PM
Clark’s Elioak Farm
Open from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

2 crop large maze of corn & cotton opens.
Farm animals, Pick Your Own Pumpkins, Fall Decorations.
Scarecrow Making Workshop from Noon-3 PM
Narrated Hayride at 1:00 pm
($1.50 per person 2 and under free)
Sharp’s at Waterford Farm
Open from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Any of these events are a good trip now that the weather is changing. The leaves definitely rained down yesterday as the front whipped through. We dodged traffic that was backed up on I-97 heading into the Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, and the Boat Show traffic going into Annapolis. We were trying to get to a family wedding at the Academy. Made it in time only because we left super early. The Renaissance Festival ends the 21st of October. The Sailboat Show ends tomorrow and the Powerboat Show starts this coming Thursday. A short trip down to Annapolis gets people to major entertainment options the next few weeks.

Add to that, the Ravens play at 1 PM. thankfully, it is an away game or could you imagine the traffic there since THE ORIOLES have a playoff game tonight at the Yard.

For us, we will be trying to find the games on satellite radio while getting to a winery dinner today. Many festivals at local wineries. We made arrangements weeks ago to hear Luca Paschina, Jim Law and Rutger de Vink talk of their vision for where Virginia wines could go. A picnic style dinner prepared by Chef Eric Ziebold of CITYZEN will be served and the menu includes a 1998 Barboursville Cabernet and 1997 Fiery Run Linden, as well as the RdV 2009 release. An event we have been anticipating for a while. RdV’s chef dinners are just awesome events. Worth the splurge occasionally to attend. Or, any winery events this month. The red grapes are being picked all over the area. Festivals every weekend.

merlot at RdV

If we recover enough tomorrow, we will pop up to see the dedication of the new Glenwood Fire Station. With this station, we now have Glenwood, Clarksville and West Friendship, all equidistant from our home. The fire station is being dedicated Monday morning at 10 am. Tours following the dedication.

Add to all this, the next three weekends are just as event laden. How can anyone say there isn’t enough to do around here?

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Posted in Adventures, Community, Day Trips, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Weather, West HoCo, Wine and tagged amateur radio, community, day trips, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, Linden Vineyards, local businesses, weather, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

1991 Linden Cabernet

Posted on September 24, 2012 by AnnieRie

Twenty one years old. Still dark, rich and a lovely wine. Who says Virginia can’t produce stellar red wine?

1991 Linden Cabernet

We bought Linden wine for the first time in 1992 at the Virginia Wine Festival. It was then we met Jim and Peggy Law, who were producing their first vintages on their farm off I-66 east of Front Royal and just below the Appalachian Trail. We bought a couple bottles of 1989 back then, because what we tasted held great promise. The 1989 and 1990 vintages are gone from our cellar, but one lonely 1991 bought at one of the earliest visits to the winery was still down there.

the label on the Linden 1991

What is amazing is that 21 years after production, it still tastes like the description. This wine probably cost us $15 back then. Not cheap for a Virginia wine then, but I have California wines that never reached the complexity this Virginia wine has. We paired it with our monthly filet splurge. Sunday night dinner, then football. The dinner.

Filet, baked potato and salad Caprese

Mostly local with steaks from Boarman’s. The potatoes from the CSA. The tomatoes are mine, as is the basil. The mozzarella, not local, bought at David’s Natural Market.

This meal, our next to last summer challenge meal, was so satisfying because the wine stood up to the steak. No brown edges. No off odors. Really an amazingly complex, flavorful wine. The dried fruit aroma was still intense although the other descriptors were a bit faded and hard to find. The taste was still there, though. A long finishing wine. The tannins has definitely softened , yet there was still structure there.

I keep saying Linden makes wines that would command twice the price if they were from Bordeaux or California. Having the luxury of the cellar allows us to be patient and enjoy the wine’s development over time. Glad we opened this one last night. Too bad it is the last of that vintage. I had brought up a bottle of ’99 in case the ’91 wasn’t still good. Looks like the ’99 will get put on the shelf for a while longer.