Journal | September 23, 2023
Big Week for Reds
This past week was a picking marathon. In advance of weekend rain we picked all the Merlot, most of Boisseau Vineyard, and all of the young vines at Hardscrabble. This past week’s picking strategy serves as a good primer on the relationship between grape maturity parameters and wine quality.
Merlot always ripens first. This is a no-brainer. In fact, we may have been a bit late on getting to Merlot as we ushered in the last of Hardscrabble Chardonnay.
Boisseau Vineyard is our warmest vineyard as it is lower in elevation and faces west. All the reds were riper than we have witnessed in years. We decided not to pick Cabernet Sauvignon as the tannins still needed more time to relax and lose some greenness.
As a result of our replanting program, we have a lot of young vines (less than ten years old) at Hardscrabble. Young vines ripen their fruit a week of two before old vines, and all these vines, including Cabernet Sauvignon were dead ripe with small concentrated berries. Young vines do not do well with late season rain as their roots are more superficial and therefore more susceptible to soil moisture fluctuations. We picked it all.
This coming week we will resume harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon, which should weather this rain well. This is because it is a cold rain. Cold temperatures reduce the likelihood of any fungus (rot) development. Skin integrity is critical with Cabernet, and thus far the skins have been thick and healthy. Skin tannins are the foundation of our red wine blends, and this is where Cabernet excels. Our picking strategies will focus around the health and quality of the skins.
We already have plenty of power and “fat” fermenting in the cellar from our earlier picks. Now we need the tannins to give the wine a balanced structure and longevity.
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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal/Field Notes: September 23, 2023