1987 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.
Read MoreThe cellar is now quiet. Fermentations are mostly complete, and all the new wine is in barrel. This year’s yields were down by almost 50%. This presents a unique problem that impacts both last year’s and next year’s wines.
Read MoreLast week, after a long pause, we finally picked Petit Manseng. It was a late harvest. The wine will be Late Harvest. This is so simple that it is confusing. Late Harvest is an official federal designation that has no guidelines. But you can count on the wine being sweet, concentrated and delicious.
Read MoreLast week the last of our reds were drained and pressed. The have some very nice material to work with when it comes time to blend. Here are my first impressions of the young, raw wines.
Read MoreWith the exception of a couple laggard barrels the 2025 wines have now finished fermenting. As anticipated, they are powerful and concentrated with fresh acidity. They are also wonderfully classic; reminiscent of some of my favorite vintages from the 1990s and early 2000s. At this stage these wines are raw, unevolved and tricky to evaluate. While aromas and flavors will change dramatically over time, a wine's texture remains fairly constant. Texture in wine is hard to explain. It refers to mouth feel, tactile sensation, weight, and harmony. But my favorite analogy is the anticipation when sinking one's teeth into an apple.
Read MoreRed harvest started yesterday. The clusters were not pristine. The grapes were a bit gnarly looking. The vines look somewhat bedraggled. The crop is small. But the flavors, ripeness and concentration are remarkable.
Read MorePicking decisions have been unpredictable this vintage. There have been too many uncertain and unusual variables. We experienced a hot, wet, tropical early summer. Then came drought and cool nights. Earlier this week 3” of rain fell in 24 hours. The yields are about half of typical. This may be our smallest harvest since 1987. Spotted Lanternfly continues to menace. No playbooks for 2025. Intuition rules.
Read MoreEvery vintage has a personality that impacts the wines. But for those of us that harvest, crush and ferment there is also a distinct rhythm for each season. This year is no exception. Spring and mid-summer were wet, humid and hot making for extra vine work under less than ideal conditions. Once ripening began conditions have been near idea with dry sunny days, low humidity, and cool nights. Ripening has been slow which is making for some concentrated grapes with very high-quality acidity.
Read MoreHarvest is slow to start this year. One more week before the Sauvignon Blanc is ready to pick. This gives us some bonus time to work on equipment and tweak the vineyard. Waiting also gives us time to do nothing. This beautiful weather has allowed for some quality porch time allowing me to observe and to think about nothing.
Read MoreIt looks like it will be a late start to vintage 2025. Veraison (color change) in red wine grapes was only slightly later than average, but yesterday we ran our first lab tests on Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Read MoreVéraison is one of the many French words adopted by English speaking winegrowers. It refers to the change of color in red grapes and the beginning of the all-important ripening stage. This is the only time that we can see ripeness.
Read MoreHot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Read MoreBack in the days before air conditioning much of Washington DC escaped the heat and temporarily settled here in these mountains. Families would stay the entire summer at boarding houses or any place that had an extra room or two. The men (this was back in the day) would come and go by train each weekend.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreIn the last 30 days we have received 8” of rain. Typically we would expect about 3”. For most growing seasons this would be cause for concern, but after two drought years we’ll take anything we can get.
Read MoreCooler than average temperatures have slowed vine development. Shoot growth is not quite as exuberant as is typical for this time of year. This is actually a relief as keeping up with shoot positioning and tying can be challenging.
Read MoreThe vines are off and running. In April new growth comes from last season’s stored carbohydrates. But by late May the roots have taken over as the engine fueling exuberant shoot growth. In early May we observed some unusual developments as shoots began to form. Many buds did not push. Some shoots seemed stunted. This delayed development has been especially evident in Merlot, Petit Manseng and Sauvignon Blanc.
Read MoreThe warm weather has pushed the vines to bud break. All varieties are out except Cabernet Sauvignon which is always last to wake up (and last to ripen). The young Cabernet vines now have green leaves showing, but the older vines are still a few days behind (this is normal).
Read MoreOfficial Chardonnay bud break occurred on Saturday April 19. This is recorded when 50% of the buds open up to reveal the first green leaf. After all our wild temperature fluctuations over the last few weeks, this budding date is average. With the warm weather predicted for the coming week, all the other grape varieties should follow suit quickly.
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