Journal | October 1, 2021
Palate-Based Winemaking
Perfect weather has given us the window to harvest all our red grapes. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot are streaming onto the crush pad at an unprecedented rate. Style decisions are made as we taste the grapes during picking and sorting. This year is not as straightforward as past vintages. Traditionally we have looked to Bordeaux for inspiration, but the grapes have a different profile this year with generous fruit and more subtle tannins.
As a result, we are pulling corks of many wines that are normally out of our wheelhouse. During harvest we taste other wines to train our palates. We are looking for textural and structural clues that may give direction to our path of decision making. Most winemaking decisions are made during crush and fermentation. This all happens over a short three-week period. We rely solely on intuition and experience. Other wines help us focus and give us confidence to veer from our norm.
While we have been tasting Bordeaux wines, we’ve also been visiting other regions such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Loire, and Piedmont. We will have to make some changes in technique and these wines offer alternatives to our routine.
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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: October 1, 2021