Today we take advantage of a pause in the harvest to transfer (rack) the fermenting 2020 Chardonnays into barrels. We start each individual lot in tanks, but as soon as the fermentation becomes vigorous and healthy they are pumped into barrels where they will ferment and age for a year.
Read MoreYesterday we picked the last of the Chardonnay, nearly two weeks after we started picking the first Hardscrabble Chardonnay. The time gap not only reflects our cooler than normal September, but also vine age.
Read MoreWhat a difference one fine day can make. Hardscrabble’s old Chardonnay vines, planted in the 1980’s, are always slow to finish ripening. All our other Chardonnays are now in the cellar fermenting away. But yesterday the old vines turned a corner.
Read MoreWeather gambles. How long does one hold off on picking before trouble brews? Hardscrabble’s old vine Chardonnay and Riesling are in the window of ripeness, but each sunny day will give more concentration and complexity to the resulting wines. But they are also fragile, meaning they could rot very easily with an extended rain event.
Read MoreToday is a rare day off from picking or crushing. The weather this coming week looks good. A few extra days of sun would benefit the grapes. Hardscrabble’s older Chardonnay vines will get a last kiss of a sunny, dry week before becoming wine.
Read MoreSally was a welcome no show. The cool weather ahead will allow use to relax the harvest pace. Each passing dry, sunny day gives a bit more concentration to the grapes. Unfortunately for the past few days the sunlight has been filtered by smoke haze coming from the West Coast fires.
Read MoreNever have we experienced such a cold start to harvest. This bodes well for the whites, but we wonder if the reds will ripen before the end of October when any hope of continued ripening comes to a close.
Read MoreAfter an interminable wait, today starts the big push. As expected, almost all the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay at both Hardscrabble and Avenius are ripe. Flavors, aromas and acidities all fell in line over the weekend.
Read MoreYesterday was Linden’s first crush day. Logistically all went well. Some issues are always anticipated as there are a lot of moving parts that haven’t moved in 10 months. Happily, no surprises on this first day of crush.
Read MoreToday is the first day of harvest. Never have we had a start date that has changed so often.
Read MoreThis weekend’s weather was perfect: dry, cool, and sunny. Ripening is back on track and we have a weather forecast that is close to ideal.
Read MoreAt sunrise this morning the pond was smoking. Autumn’s first chill and summer warmed water combined to produce a fine wispy steam.
Read MoreToday ends a miserable week of weather. Rain, fog, mist, and clouds have stalled ripening and contributed to some rot. To what degree I do not know because I have stayed out of the vineyard.
Read MoreWe are ready for harvest. The August bottling has emptied barrels and tanks, crush equipment is running smoothly, and trucks, tractors and trailers operational. But the grapes are not ready.
Read MoreVintage 2020 is beginning to come into focus. Yesterday berry samples were taken, lab analysis run, and juice tasted. White grapes are first to ripen, so they command our full attention at this stage. The only definitive conclusion we can surmise is that 2020 will be a very late harvest.
Read MoreThe vineyard is starting to dry out after a soggy start of the month. A new flush of growth has sent us back into the vines to hedge, mow and weed. Fortunately it looks like harvest will be at least a week late, possibly starting the week of September 7. This will give us more time to get all our crush and fermentation equipment cleaned and prepared.
Read MoreConditions have reversed course from very dry to very wet. This is not what we want, but it is what we have.
Read MoreIn the 1980s it was referred to as global warming. This didn’t really seem all that bad considering that our recent winters had been “bud killing” cold and Cabernet Sauvignon struggled to ripen in the chill of late October. Unfortunately we were to discover that global warming was more than just an increase in temperature. In fact all the other consequences of climate change have given us the greatest problems.
Read MoreWinegrowers prefer a dry July. New shoot growth slows just at the right time. The vines can then turn their attention to ripening the grapes rather than producing additional unnecessary leaves. But it can be too dry. And it has been too dry lately.
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