Hardscrabble Journal

Suddenly It Started

Yesterday was our first day of harvest. Last week’s heat and this continuing dry spell accelerated ripening. However, we picked Boisseau Chardonnay and Viognier under unusually cool, cloudy conditions. It is still August.

These are two very small plantings, and the rows run up and down a gently sloping hill. We separated out the harvested fruit from the bottom sections, as it did not have the same flavor intensity as the top sections. Today we will press each small batch and in turn, ferment the juices individually. The wines will be evaluated later in the year. Selection, separation, and declassification play a major role in improving the quality (but decreasing the quantity) of our single vineyard wines.

The weather really counts from now on. The vines are in great shape, but the bulk of harvest won’t come for several weeks. Forecasters are promising warm, sunny, dry conditions, which is ideal. However, all eyes are on tropical storm Dorian, as any remnants of an east coast landing could quite literally rain on our party.

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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: August 27, 2019