Journal | June 19, 2025
Vineyard Update
This is a very active week in the vines. Next week’s ominous forecast of dangerously high temperatures means that vineyard work will be limited to only the cooler mornings. We’re trying to get ahead of the game this week. And we are. Petit Manseng is the last block remaining for fruit zone aeration. It will be done this week. Then all hands will continue to tie and shoot position.
Hedging is about to begin. We’ll do the first pass manually with Christmas tree machetes. The young, tender shoot tips cut easily with a quick flick of a razor-sharp blade. However, given the tremendous amount of moisture in the soil, continued high vigor will require several passes of hedging this summer. This will exceed our ability to hedge manually. One of next week’s “get out of the heat” projects will be to attach the mechanical hedger to our 30-year-old semi-retired vineyard tractor. The hedger hasn’t been used since 2022 as the last two summers have been dry. Vine growth was subdued. As was hedging. This year will be different.
The pendulum has swung. 2025 seems to have brought the vines back to the lush growth that used to be normal. They are healthy and vigorous. But because of this they’ll also require more canopy work to keep them in balance. A nice dry spell would be welcome!
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: June 19, 2025