2024 Vintage Summary
2024: The New Normal?
Hot and dry sums up most of the growing season. The wines reflect this with weight, density, and heft.
Bud break was a week earlier than normal, but we may have to soon redefine normal. May started out hot and dry. Spotted Lanternfly nymphs hatched on May 3. Mid-May became damp. Variable conditions continued through early June. Chardonnay bloom was inconsistent, but conditions were ideal for the later blooming Cabernet Sauvignon.
Mid-summer was very hot and dry. Younger vines show stress signs. Berries grew slowly, but in some cases (Cabernet Sauvignon) cluster size was large. Cabernet was vigorously thinned to reduce the large potential crop. The start of veraison was July 24, about a week earlier than normal. 2024 seemed in many ways a repeat of 2023.
On August 8 Hurricane Debby broke a prolonged drought with 3" of rain. This resulted in swelling of the berries and some dilution, but a week of sun, wind and low humidity set the vines back on track.
Harvest started on August 23 at Boisseau Vineyard. Cool nights and sunny breezy days made for easy picking. However the 'whiplash" weather of the previous few months had confused the vines. Flavors, acidities, and sugars were inconsistent. Learning from last year's experience the decision was to pick on the early side which resulted on more balanced, finessed wines.
September stared with a heat spike. Picking was limited only to the cooler, early morning hours. Ripening was fast. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay raced to ripeness. Mid-September weather turned cooler. Merlot and Cabernet Franc were picked just before a wet spell. After a few days of drizzle Cabernet Sauvignon skins started to lose integrity and the decision was made to pick all remaining red grapes.
The last day of harvest was October 14 when Petit Manseng was picked for demi-sec.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2024 Vintage | 2024 Vintage Summary