Linden Update | November 28, 2023
The 2023 growing season was the driest in 4o years.
“Climate is what you plan for
and weather is what you get.”
—Mark Twain
Vintage and Wine Style
The weather during the growing season is the critical determinant of a wine’s style. Temperature and precipitation, especially in late summer and fall will influence aromas, flavors, alcohol, acidity, and structure of a wine. Weather extremes have become more frequent with climate change, so it follows that vintage variation has become more pronounced in recent years. Our mantra at Linden has always been to “respect the vintage.” This means that in the cellar we don’t manipulate or force the wines into a preconceived stylistic goal. This December we’ll be comparing and contrasting two very different vintages: the classic 2020 and the hedonistic 2023.
Vintage 2020: Classic
When we plant a vineyard, our establishment decisions are geared towards producing a balanced, harmonious wine in a typical growing season. The choice of variety, rootstock, trellising, and row direction is focused on producing the best wine grapes in the most average of vintages. When this occurs the wines are classic: they are the finest expression of our establishment decisions and therefore our terroir. Following the European model, these are food wines that feature finesse, refreshing acidity, and herbal notes.
Vintage 2023: Hedonistic
2023 was the driest growing season experienced in our 40 years here at Linden. Water-stressed vines produced wines more concentrated than usual, as berries were smaller and sugar content was higher. This made for big, heady, ripe fruit-driven wines. These wines offer palate caressing texture and immediate pleasure; hence we refer to them as hedonistic. They are more akin to a California wine style.
Jim Law sharing a first taste of the 2023 vintage.
December Barrel Tasting and Vintage 2020 Release
Taste the difference this December. We’ll be tasting the classic 2020 single vineyard wines from the bottle and the hedonistic 2023 vintage from the barrel.
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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Update: November 28, 2023