Journal | May 16, 2020
Hardscrabble Journal
This Week in the Vines
I wish we could flatten the curve of what is about to happen in the vineyard. A very cold April and last week’s freeze put the brakes on vineyard work.
Until a few days ago shoots have been slow to develop. They need to be a certain length before we can effectively shoot thin. That just happened this weekend. Normally Chardonnay is about ten days more advanced than Cabernet Sauvignon, but this year all varieties are at a similar stage and all will need attention at the same time.
We’ve also had to wait in order to assess freeze damage. We were relatively lucky, but Chardonnay and Merlot, the first varieties to start growing, took the most damage. It has taken about five days to be able to determine whether or not each individual shoot will survive. Now it is obvious as shoots either continue their growth, or slowly wither.
There will be about a 20% crop loss in Merlot and Chardonnay, but all other varieties should be OK. The big problem is that we have to be very meticulous and creative with shoot thinning in order to maintain vine form for next year’s pruning. Regardless, we all look forward to spending long days in the vines.
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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: May 16, 2020