Posts tagged 2026
Linden Update | July 8, 2026

Heat Wave 

Last week's heat wave was crippling for the winegrowers, but the vines fared well. Rains from a few weeks ago provided adequate soil moisture, so the vines were not stressed. However we did see a bit of sunburn on some of the exposed clusters as a result of unrelenting solar intensity and temperatures climbing into the 90°s F. This is something never seen before here at Hardscrabble. I selected this mountain site in 1983 to take advantage of the cooling elevation. But that was then and this is now.

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Linden UpdatesJim Law2026
Journal | May 4, 2026

Typicity and Climate Change

Typicity 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.

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Hardscrabble JournalJim Law2026
Journal | March 24, 2026

Native cover crops in the Vineyard

We’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.

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Hardscrabble JournalJim Law2026, Native Cover Crops