Journal | January 11, 2024
Blending Trials: Who, What, Where, When and Why
Every January we commence blending trials. The red wines from the 2023 vintage have now settled down and are showing their personalities. Every winery approaches blending differently. The timing can range from early (now) to late (just before bottling: more than a year from now). Blending trials and decisions can happen quickly: in just a day or two, or (sometimes painfully) slowly: months. Blending trials can be done exclusively in-house, or outside consultants can be involved.
At Linden we have evolved to a protocol that makes sense for us. We are winegrowers, not winemakers. Therefore the seasonal rhythms of the vineyard prioritize our timing. In the dead of winter we have time, so we start now. We prefer to make all these important decisions ourselves. Our wines are not only a reflection of our terroir, but also as reflection of who we are and our preferred style. As the years pass, our palate preferences evolve as does our wine style. It’s been a wonderful journey and has given us great satisfaction. Finally, we find that our palates are very tuned and focused for a period of about 60 to 90 minutes. So the length of our sessions reflects this.
So we hold our blending trials in January and February. We taste daily in the mid-afternoon always at the same table in Linden’s library. Jonathan Weber, Shari Avenius, Jim Law and occasionally Richard Boisseau make up the panel. We’ve done this together for years. We know each other’s palate strengths and preferences. When the deliberations begin we rely on each other for corroboration or disagreement. Sometimes decisions are made quickly and effortlessly, but more often the process can be lengthy and occasionally frustrating.
We are hoping for an easy time this year as the 2023 wines are frankly pretty delicious. There are no weak lots, but our job is to determine whether or not they all play well together. We’ll keep you updated.
Subscribe to Linden Updates for the latest vineyard and cellar information.
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: January 11, 2024