Linden started harvest on Monday August 31. Sauvignon Blanc was first up to bat. What is typically a two-day pick was accomplished in just one day: the result of the April 21 frost. The Avenius Vineyard produced about 50% of normal. Hardscrabble was about 25% of normal.
Read MoreIt's looking like harvest will start next week with Sauvignon Blanc. The vines are healthy. Too healthy in some cases. The rains and heat of August have stimulated excessive and exuberant vine growth. This is not desirable. The vines should be focusing on ripening grapes, not producing new leaves. In an attempt to slow them down we have taken a page from our winemaking philosophy of doing nothing. I'll explain.
Read MoreToday was our first day for grape sampling and lab tests. Vintage 2026 is now being analyzed, examined, and scrutinized. In the morning samples of grapes from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay were methodically taken: ten grapes from 15 vines of each variety.
Read MoreRabbitfoot clover is the final native cover crop to spread under the vines. It is flowering now.
Read MoreClovers are now in full bloom under the vines. Red clover is lush and vigorous.
Read MoreFinally a weather break. We’ve had ideal conditions for flowering over the past 10 days: hot and dry.
Read MoreBlack Medic is my favorite native cover crop. I only really noticed it ten years ago when its abundant but tiny yellow flowers were in full bloom.
Read MoreOne beauty of wine is vintage variation. Every year’s bottling is different because of the weather. For the winegrower each growing season also has a rhythm.
Read MoreWe are shoot thinning in earnest right now. Our eyes are focused on the low growing trunks and canes. Looking down all day, we are especially appreciative of the often overlooked.
Read MoreCatchweed bedstraw is not super prevalent at Hardscrabble Vineyard. In some instances it does get a bit too tall for my liking. It barely qualifies to be included in my list of desirable native cover crops.
Read MoreTypicity is my favorite wine tasting word. A wine can be typical of the grape (aka varietal character), but it is most satisfying when it is an expression of place. I always search for typicity when blind tasting. Certain aroma markers can trigger an unmistakable terroir. A crystalline mineral acidity makes a connection.
Read MoreChickweed is one of my favorites. It germinates in late March, grows profusely in April, then browns and dies in early May leaving a natural dense mulch under the vines.
Read MoreDeadnettle is the first of a season long sequence of native cover crops at Hardscrabble Vineyard. Emerging in early March, it is delicate with tiny purple flowers.
Read MoreWe’re still pruning, but the bittersweet end is in sight. Most of the pruning cuts are made at the vine heads, which are waist high, so we spend most of the day looking down or on our knees. We therefore get very intimate with the emerging flora now growing on the vineyard floor. This growth under the vines is called cover crops.
Read MoreMarch is pruning month. Warm weather stimulates the vines. Sap flows. After every cut the vines bleed (or cries depending on what appellation you work in). The surrounding environment also wakes. In March birds take center stage.
Read MoreThe weather we are currently experiencing brings with it some angst. But what exactly do winegrowers worry about?
Read MoreYesterday presented ideal bush pile burning conditions. It had been many weeks since our last rain, so the stacked branches were easily ignited. An all-day rain was about to settle in and the winds were calm. No chance of the fire escaping its boundaries. So burning in the rain was the task of the morning. Most of my time is spent watching. Just in case. Watching flames lick the sky is eventful (these were very large piles), but I had to seek nearby shelter from the cold rain.
Read MoreChanges in winegrowing and winemaking evolved thoughtfully and intentionally. But marketing and sales were much more reactionary. There were no established paths to follow for new, small regional wineries. Initially we weren’t even sure who we were marketing to.
Read More1987 was Linden’s first vintage. There was a lot of pressure to make a great wine right out of the starting gate. Big powerful wines were garnering accolades and high Parker points. New technologies and scientific analysis were driving American winemaking. I was not immune to the trends of the day. The path of numbers-driven, interventionist, aspirational winemaking was my initial approach.
Read More1987 was Linden's first vintage. Over the next couple of weeks I'll write about the most significant changes and improvements that have impacted wine quality. I'll also write about forty years of changes to the cellar, sales and marketing, and the business side of the operation since we started in 1985.
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