An old house reminds us of our place in life. We are not the first, nor will we be the last, inhabitants. The long nights of winter solstice give us extra time to sit by the fire and ponder and wonder. How did past generations endure those dark, cold, long nights?
Read MoreI’ve too often heard comments that “Cabernet Sauvignon can’t ripen in Virginia”.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the majority grape in most of Linden’s red wines. Our high elevation (1,200 to 1,400 feet) makes us one of the coolest areas in Virginia. Cabernet Sauvignon is a late ripening variety. Most of Virginia has enough heat to ripen it. Heat is not the obstacle. Soils are. Cabernet is very soil sensitive. Plant it in the wrong soil and it will not ripen. Plant it in the right soil and it produces magical wines.
Read MoreThere are many compelling reasons to delay the start of pruning vines. Academicians, consultants, and plant pathologists all caution against pruning early. But after a month of cellar and office work, my separation anxiety from the vineyard was too much to bear. I needed to get outside and I needed to reconnect with the vines.
Read MoreWinegrowers are in a constant state of discovery as each slope, each site, each microclimate, and each vintage is different.
Read MoreMost of Linden’s Red wines have finished fermenting. In a few short weeks a slurry of juice and skins has become wine. Now we have to decide when to drain these fermentation vats into barrels.
Read MoreToday we pick the last Hardscrabble Cabernet Sauvignon. The skin tannins have relaxed and it should serve as a nice foundation for Linden’s red blends. That is it for the red grapes. Petit Manseng will be picked on Friday. That will be it for Vintage 2022.
Read MoreThe rain remnants of Ian were not welcome. The grapes are swollen and the clusters are fragile. But they survived. We’ll now take advantage of a string of beautiful, sunny crisp days.
Read MoreWe picked for three days straight. We picked at all three vineyards. We picked four different varieties. We picked 18 blocks. Today we ran out of lugs (picking baskets), cooler space, and time. We’re trying not to be too exhausted as we now have two days of crush ahead of us.
Read MoreAll Linden’s Chardonnay will be “in the barn” by Monday. We allowed it to take full advantage of dry, sunny weather.
Read MoreToday we crush both Hardscrabble and Avenius Sauvignon Blanc. They were picked meticulously over the last two cool mornings.
Read MoreFinally, the weather we had hoped for has arrived. Perfect ripening conditions. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a long stretch of harvesting and crushing.
Read MoreToday we crush and press Hardscrabble Semillon and some Hardscrabble Sauvignon Blanc. The first day of crush brings excitement and angst.
Read MoreWaiting is the hardest part. Especially when it is raining. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are very close to full maturity. But to make a balanced, terroir driven wine, close isn’t good enough.
Read MoreWe’ve finally caught some breaks in the weather. The soils are the driest they have been this year due to a combination of missed thunderstorms and warm, sunny days. Now the question is how long will our luck last?
Read MoreThere is only one time when one can see ripeness. And that time is now. Véraison is the coloring up of grapes and the beginning of ripening. With black grapes it is very distinctive. White grape veraison is less obvious, but there is still a subtle shift in color and translucency.
Read MoreWe are often asked about how we are adapting to a new climate. There are still too many unknowns for us to come up with a comprehensive plan, but some pieces are starting to fall into place.
Read MoreSummer thunderstorms have continually refreshed ground moisture this growing season. The vines, the cover crops, and the grass retain a spring-like green lushness.
Read MoreWell-timed rains and lots of sun have brought abundance to the vineyard. The vines require extra hedging and trimming as shoot growth is exuberant. Cluster size is much larger than typical due to good weather conditions during flowering and pollination. The potential crop is large. Too large. These yields would produce thin, uninteresting wines as the vines would struggle to sufficiently ripen the grapes.
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