Easy Spring
What a fabulous start to vintage 2023. Cool and very dry conditions have tempered vine growth to a very manageable pace.
Read MoreThe Lanternfly has arrived at Hardscrabble Vineyard
While working the vines we discovered these Spotted Lanternfly nymphs. The nymphs don’t do any damage to the vines. But the adults will suck sap from the succulent vine shoots. We expect to see them later this summer.
Read MoreThe Scent of a Vineyard
The vines are in bloom.
Packaging News
The decorative foil capsules on top of wine bottles serve no useful purpose.
Summer Sampler
Summer wines are by definition refreshing and vibrant. Here are Linden’s picks for this summer.
Read MoreBlooms
The first blooms have appeared in Chardonnay. The timing seems about average. Once 50% of the flowers have opened the date will be recorded and we can compare this year’s progress to past vintages. At this writing it is raining.
Read MoreFlush of Green
The transition from shoot thinning to shoot positioning and tying has begun. Our marathon of canopy management will continue until early July.
Read MoreTiming is Everything
This week’s cooler weather will slow vine growth. This is good for our work pace. We are now in the “timing is everything” mode in the vineyard.
This Month’s Tastings at the Winery
A focus on vintage variation: how the weather affects wine style.
Read MoreShoot Thinning: Green Work Begins
Wine is made in the vineyard. So what does that really mean?
Read MoreUnsettled Spring
Atypical is typical. Temperature swings of 50°F and drought to flash floods within a time span of a week is normal. This weather may inconvenience wardrobe selection, but winegrowers are much more focused on how the vines react. So far, they are taking things in stride.
Read MoreAged Chardonnays: Patience Rewards | April 30 only
It is no secret that Linden emulates the white wines of Burgundy. When grown on the proper site and handled sparingly in the cellar, the Chardonnay grape expresses terroir and ages with grace and resolve.
Read MoreEarly Spring
Right now spring is early, warm, and dry. Next week may be different.
Climate Change Trial Plantings
Linden Vineyards Wine Dinner at the Buttery
Read MoreClimate Trial Plantings
Today we are planting additional vines in Hardscrabble’s Climate Change Trial Vineyard. This will bring our total up to about two dozen different varieties.
Read MoreChardonnay Bud Break April 12, 2023
Unsurprisingly this warm weather has accelerated bud break. The 2023 vintage has precociously begun.
Read MoreWeather or Not
Last week’s summer was abruptly interrupted. For most of us the extremes are conversational or inconvenient. For farmers they can be disastrous. Winegrowers are farmers. The two weather events we worry most about are frost and hail. Both have been on the increase. In both cases, timing and severity can make or break the bounty of a vintage.
Read MoreOh Deer!
Deer have always been a problem to anyone trying to grow anything in these parts. Back in the early 1980s, the deer population was much smaller than it is today.
New Tastings, April Begins Friday Hours
Eclectic Whites 4-pack
Read MoreSpring Peepers
Yesterday’s warm temperatures finally triggered the peeps of spring. Peepers are small frogs that live in the mud of wetlands and ponds. When the soil temperature warms enough they emerge from hibernation. They are appropriately called chorus frogs as group peeps can be wonderfully melodic and loud.
Read MoreWhy winegrowers prefer a chilly March
With each passing week vines become more sensitive to warm spells. In December a stretch of spring-like weather would not phase them, but by mid-March they are highly tuned to temperature cues. A week of 70°s or 80°s F would swell tender buds. If extreme warmth were to continue, the vines would break bud early. So why would this be a problem?
Pop up Barrel Tasting: Hardscrabble Chardonnay 2022
Sunday, March 19
Linden’s Next Generation pours at Arrowine, Arlington, Virginia
Read MoreNot Too Worried Yet
Fluctuating warm/cold days in February and March are typical. Climate change has made the swings more extreme. Winegrowers react with both joy and panic.
Read MoreIndustry Visits
Perhaps the most striking sign of a post pandemic world is the return of industry visits. These technical visits are arranged by winegrowers in advance. The goal is to share and to learn on a highly specialized level. As with most professions there is a certain level of experience, technique and jargon that is only understood by those who practice. In other words, we geek out.
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