The Courage to Do Nothing
Cool weather has slowed ripening. We are waiting for Merlot tannins to relax a bit more as their skins remain a bit tough and astringently drying.
Read MoreBarrel Switch
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 MoreChardonnay Harvest Complete
Yesterday 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 MoreOne Fine Day
What 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 MoreTaking Full Advantage of the Weather
Weather 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 MorePause
Today 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 MoreClear Sailing
Sally 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 MoreCold Start
Never 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 MoreFirst Pick at Hardscrabble
After 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 MoreFirst Day of Crush
Yesterday 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 MoreGo
Today is the first day of harvest. Never have we had a start date that has changed so often.
Read MoreDecision Day
This 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 MoreSmoke on the Water
At sunrise this morning the pond was smoking. Autumn’s first chill and summer warmed water combined to produce a fine wispy steam.
Read MoreGut Decisions
Today 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 MoreReady, Set, Wait
We 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 MoreFirst Glimpse
Vintage 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 MoreFocus Turns to Harvest
The 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 MoreA Shabby Chic Vineyard
Conditions have reversed course from very dry to very wet. This is not what we want, but it is what we have.
Read MoreClimate change and 40 years of growing grapes in Virginia
In 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 More