Hardscrabble Journal

Blending Trials Part 2: Big Decisions

“Taste, taste, taste, and then trust your palate.”
– Jacques Lardière of Maison Louis Jadot in Burgundy.

This piece of advice from almost thirty years ago continues to guide Linden’s winemaking decisions. Making final blending decisions is a winemaker’s mother of all decisions. It’s all done by taste, and once made, it can’t be changed.

Over the past two weeks we have been methodically tasting and narrowing down the blends of the three single vineyard wines: Boisseau, Avenius and then Hardscrabble. Earlier in January we tasted and made notes on each individual barrel. Now we start, just as a chef assembles ingredients without a recipe. Over the years we have developed a methodical approach to blending. Otherwise there would be chaos.

The best way to explain the reasoning behind blending is: 1+1=3. With varietal wines (those constrained by using just one grape variety), 1+1=2 is about the best one can hope for. At each vineyard site three or four of the so-called Bordeaux varieties are planted. Additionally, each vineyard has multiple blocks of any given grape, each having its own personality dictated by a diversity of soil, slope, or vine age.

Our job is to respect the aromas and flavors of the vineyard. Let it be. This is terroir winemaking. But where we do get very involved is with the texture, mouth feel and harmony of the assemblage of the components. Each barrel will bring something to the table. It could be mid palate weight, acidity, or tannin length. Taste is subjective, so we try to disciple our tasting procedure by thinking and taking notes related to palate impressions. The taste experience is divided into three phases: first is the entry, also called attack. Second is evolution, and then the third is finish. All three should flow together and all three should have a strong impression. When words such as “hole”, “short” of “sticks out” are used, we know that there is a lot of work ahead of us.

We always taste three samples in a flight and we always taste blind (not having any information about the wines in front of us). The first flight in the blending process consists of: 1. The cellar blend, which includes every barrel of red wine produced from that vineyard site (Boisseau, Avenius, or Hardscrabble). 2. A consensus blend consisting of the lots most admired by the group. 3. Jim’s blend which is a handful of the barrels showing the most power and concentration.

This first flight usually gives us an indication of a direction. If there is a favorite wine in the flight the question is posed: What would make this a better wine?

We typically taste three or four flights of three sample blends in an afternoon. Palate fatigue and alcohol intake (we spit, but wine is absorbed in the mouth) will eventually negatively impact our efforts if we try to continue past that threshold.

Once we feel we are in the ballpark of a consensus blend, press wines and Petit Verdot are introduced. These are very assertive wines. A small percentage can have a big impact.
After many days of this tasting, a final blend emerges. The blend is re tasted another day in a blind flight for confirmation. Then we are ready to physically make the blend in the cellar.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: February 6, 2020