Journal | September 10, 2021
Crush
Today is Linden’s first day of crush for vintage 2021. On the slate are Hardscrabble’s Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The season has presented a circuitous, twisted path to get to this point. A mid-summer drought followed by late summer cycles of brilliant sun and downpours.
Old vines have taken all this in stride, but younger vines have suffered. The Hardscrabble Sauvignon Blanc vines are less than ten years old. The clusters remained healthy until earlier this week when botrytis (noble) rot began to spread through some sections. It was time to pick.
The grapes taste balanced, but lack concentration. We are gambling that by including the botrytis infected grapes we will gain some depth and complexity.
The Avenius Sauvignon Blanc vines are 26 years old and the crop is healthy. The acidity still needs to calm a bit. A few more sunny days will put the finishing touches on ripening. They will be harvested early next week. After that, Chardonnays will be in our sights.
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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: September 10, 2021