This has been the coldest week I can remember since 1994. The pond has frozen enough for ice skating and most outside wall water pipes have frozen. However, we are not too concerned about any vine damage as the coldest temperatures have “only” been in the low single digits.
Read MoreWith the exception of one stubborn lot, The Merlots and Cabernet Francs are finished fermenting. We start our “two day tastings” today.
Read MoreToday we pick part of the Petit Manseng vineyard. We will harvest grapes primarily from the younger vines for “demi-sec”. Physiological ripening seems to have stalled, perhaps because of the warm weather and drought conditions.
Read MoreVidal was harvested yesterday and will be crushed today. In the past some Vidal has was picked as a blending partner with Riesling. The rest was dedicated to Late Harvest. This year will be different for several reasons.
Read MoreYesterday we harvested all the Hardscrabble Petit Verdot and two blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon. We will crush them this morning and then in the afternoon we will pick our steep slope Cabernet. Tomorrow will be a very big day where...
Read MoreAll the Merlot is now in fermenters. This could be the best Merlot Linden has ever produced.
Read MoreToday we pick the last of the Merlot along with some Boisseau Cabernet Sauvignon. So far the harvested reds have all been of “single vineyard” quality, meaning that there have been no consideration of declassification down to Claret.
Read MoreWhat a civilized harvest we are having. Taking full advantage of a very favorable forecast, we are slowly and methodically picking and crushing small lots of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Today Avenius Vineyard is up to bat.
Read MoreThis should be a fun week. 0% chance of rain, starting warm and ending cool. Merlot is in great shape just begging to be picked. Today we start at Boisseau Vineyard picking the Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Read MoreFor the last week I have been obsessed by the tracking of hurricanes Jose and Maria, well aware of the potential massive rains that they could inflict on our vineyards.
Read MoreSeems that Jose and Maria will stay off shore. This is a major relief. Very warm days and nights have accelerated ripening.
Read MoreAfter a bit of rest and regrouping, we’ll be back at it this week. Today Jonathan and I will be putting the fermenting Chardonnay in barrels.
Read MoreWe are now in waiting for more grapes to ripen. Cooler temperatures have slowed maturation. This is good for wine quality. It is also good for us as we have had a chance to catch up in the cellar and vineyard.
Read MoreThe first big push is over. Bottom line is that we picked and pressed all the grapes that were ripe before the onset of Irma. We have some very nice white wines fermenting.
Read MoreToday is the last “hurricane pick” day. We will be bringing in some, but not all of the Hardscrabble old vine Chardonnay. Frankly, I would like it to be a bit riper, but one section of the block has some bunch rot that could explode if we get the forecasted 3 or 4 days of lingering rain later this week.
Read MoreThis is the crush mode that I remember from the not so ‘good old days’. Its been physically and mentally challenging. We have so many lots of wines in fermenters, that I have to use different colors of labeling tape to ID lots, otherwise we get too confused as to what is where.
Read MoreWe had a good crush day yesterday. Very pleased with the juice quality, especially Avenius Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. It rained off and on all day...
Read MoreNow it feels like harvest. The cooler is being filled with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. I was too tired to make a decent dinner, but still managed to enjoy a glass of 2014 Grand Cru Chablis for information and inspiration.
Read MoreToday marks the beginning of the big push. Cool, wet weather has slowed ripening, so it has been a week since we last picked. Today we start with young vine Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Read MoreVintage 2017 is starting with a bit of anxiety. While picking has started, it has now stopped as we are still waiting for a bit more ripening of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. They are very very close, but if we picked now, the wines would be a bit green with unbalanced acidity.
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