The pace in the vineyard has not slowed, but we are slowly transitioning from the basics to fine tuning. Basics refers to the more mundane tasks of tying up shoots and hedging excessively long shoots. A rainy spring has stimulated vine growth, so we will be occupied with these jobs for the foreseeable future.
Read MoreVintage 2022 is starting to take shape. Two aspects stand out: a potentially abundant crop and vigorous vine growth.
Read MoreSo here we are in late May and it has been raining a lot. What does this mean for the vines and for the vintage.
Read MoreThis week begins the start of seasonal “green work.” This refers to all the tasks of pulling, plucking, tying, positioning, and hedging the newly emerging (green) growth of the vines. This vineyard work is detailed, complex, often tedious, and difficult to describe.
Read MoreNot that cold last night, only in the high 30’s. We are feeling good and ready to start the season on a good footing.
Read MoreLast night we had a freeze. But it was not freezing enough to do damage to the vines (we think).
Read MoreVulnerable.
Once again. Most of our vines have budded out and are now freeze susceptible.
Read MoreAfter dire warnings of a bud killing freeze, the only thing we lost was sleep.
Read MoreIt’s complicated. Some vines have budded out. Snow is not a problem. But temperatures below 30°F are a problem.
Read MoreThis week we bottled Linden’s 2020 red wines. This was a good five months earlier than our typical bottling regime for red wines. Vintage 2020’s weather produced wines with refreshing, crunchy red fruit and acidity. We felt that additional barrel aging would muddle the purity of the wines. So it was decided to bottle early.
Read MoreAn iron fist in a velvet glove. Restrained, but powerful. Great food wine. Only gets better with time in the glass.
Read MoreWe spent last week focused on blending trials for Hardscrabble Red 2021. In our initial tastings the Cabernet Sauvignon was most impressive, but we felt that the riper, more full-bodied Cabernet Franc would play an important role in building the mid-palate of the final blend. We were mistaken.
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