Journal | August 28, 2023

Records

The most important winemaking decision is when to pick. We walk the vines, taste the grapes, take samples for lab analysis, taste the juice sample, and watch the weather. But each vintage is unique and this critical decision isn’t always straightforward.

When there is uncertainty we turn to our records of past vintages. We focus on vintages that had similar weather conditions. Records of these vintages might reveal the progression of ripening and our perceptions of flavor characteristics of the grapes and juice.

Then we go to our wine library where we have bottles of every vintage going back to 1987. Corks are pulled, and wines are tasted. This year, with extremely dry soils, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are ripening quickly. We’ll taste past vintages that experienced similar conditions. In 2014 we picked on the early side, how did the higher acidity harmonize with the mid-palate? In 2016 we picked later and riper. Does the wine still have the freshness to go the distance?

The best data is in the glass.

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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal/Field Notes: August 28, 2023

Hardscrabble JournalJim Law2023, Follow the 2023 Harvest