Journal | September 14, 2020
Hardscrabble Journal
First Pick at Hardscrabble
After an interminable wait, today starts the big push. As expected, almost all the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay at both Hardscrabble and Avenius are ripe. Flavors, aromas and acidities all fell in line over the weekend.
The weather looks ideal for the next ten days with the possible exception of some Thursday showers from the remnants of Sally. We hope she stays to the south.
Hardscrabble Sauvignon Blanc and a bit of Semillon are first up to bat. The vines are young and haven’t withstood the rains as well as older vines. This vintage has been an eye opener as to the resilience of old vines vs. young. Old vines have deeper roots that better regulate water uptake. Young vines roots are more superficial. So when it rains, those roots absorb a lot more water and pump it into the grapes. When the grapes swell, they stretch the skins and push against each other. This leads to an entry point for rot.
So our first day will be slow going as we have to meticulously sort out any rot in the clusters as we go. We do have a sorting table to do a second sorting tomorrow when we crush, but we like to do the initial “triage” in the field.
Once today is over it is smoother sailing as the Avenius vines are old, and there is very little rot. Chardonnay looks good except for one young block planted on a heavier soil.
Subscribe to Linden Updates for the latest vineyard and cellar information.
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: September 14, 2020