Journal | January 19, 2023
Vintage Notes: 2022 Reds
The personality of vintage 2022 is now unfolding. Over the last few weeks we have meticulously sampled and tasted each barrel. Both red wines and white wines share a common theme of very finessed acidity and a dense core that will reward aging. These wines should evolve well into the next decade.
The red wines show strong varietal characteristics. Cabernet Sauvignon has the concentration and persistence to be the core of any blend. Its tannins are fine, but not assertive as we did not push extraction during fermentation. Rather, we allowed the acidity to speak for the wine. Which it does wonderfully.
Merlot is a bit of a wallflower. It is a pretty wine with delicate red fruit, but it can be easily overwhelmed by its stablemates. However, we have already found that a modest amount in the blend seems to lift the other components. This is the classic 1+1=3 that we hope for.
Cabernet Franc is a bruiser. It is very ripe and dark. But its tannins are somewhat rustic. Too much in the blend may interfere with the finesse of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Petit Verdot may play a more significant role in the single vineyard blends this year. The grapes had high sugar, but the tannins were not sufficiently ripe and the acid was high. We did a very short fermentation on the skins so as to reduce the impact of harsh tannins. This gave us a wine that had some nice mid-palate weight without a typical rustic finish. It contributes aromatics and a sweet fruit character to the palate entry without interfering with the elegant power of Cabernet Sauvignon.
More updates to follow.
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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: January 19, 2023