Journal | September 28, 2016
Hardscrabble Journal
Rain Pick
Today will be one of those days we all dread. Picking in the rain. The forecast moved the start of the rain from later in the afternoon to the morning. We will start to pick at daybreak and keep going all day, probably taking breaks in any heavy showers. We’ve all worked the vines very diligently since March and know what is at stake. We will pick the highest quality sections and blocks at Avenius and Hardscrabble: mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and a bit of Petit Verdot. Any grapes picked today will be prime candidates for blending into our flagship single vineyard wines. Any grapes left on the vines will be picked after the rains and most likely go to Claret.
Fortunately we had a very productive day yesterday thanks to several ‘last minute’ volunteers who were able to man the sorting tables freeing up Linden’s core staff to harvest Hardscrabble’s prime Cabernet Sauvignon blocks. Bottom line is that we have the best lots “in the barn”, safe and dry, so we have all the components to make outstanding single vineyard red wines. Just not the quantity that I had hoped for.
Yesterday was perhaps a record crush day in terms of shear quantity processed. By the end of the day Jonathan and I were more than a bit dazed. Clean up continued into the night, but I felt that there was a point where if we didn’t get home to rest and recharge for today we could start making poor decisions. Our decision making so far has been spot on and I don’t want to jeopardize the streak.
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: September 28, 2016