Cooper Season

Linden’s wines are aged in French oak barrels. The vast majority of these barrels are quite old and are therefore deemed “neutral” (after about 5 years of use there is no longer any detectable flavor coming from the oak). But every year we do purchase some new barrels to replenish those that are eventually taken out of service.

Right now there are dozens of coopers (barrel makers) who making their annual pilgrimage from France to the US looking to sell barrels to winemakers. We refer to this as cooper season. Orders need to be placed soon so the barrels can be crafted to our specifications and shipped out in time to arrive before harvest.  The decision as to what barrels to buy and from which cooper is an interesting one.

Just as with winemakers, each cooper can have a signature style. Some barrels can be very assertive and others more restrained as to their impact on the wines. Some flavor profiles can be on the sweet vanilla side and others toasty and espresso like.

Over the years we have settled on a couple of coopers whose barrels dovetail well with the Linden style. We work closely with these coopers, fine tuning crafting aspects such as toasting levels, stave aging and forest origin.  During the spring visits wines are tasted and evaluated as to how a specific barrel has impacted the wine. 

While we work closely with just a few coopers, we are also open to trying others. But how does one go about selecting a new barrel maker. What can the cooper possibly do or say that could convince you to spend a thousand dollars to try just one new barrel? 

This is a challenging proposition for the cooper. Some will bring samples of other wines made from their barrels. This can give us an insight as to their style and flavor profile.  Others will try to impress by listing prestigious wineries who use their barrels. Ultimately, if time allows we will taste our wine with the cooper and ask just one difficult question: 

How would your barrel improve my wine?

Their answer determines whether or not we start a relationship.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: April 17, 2024