Linden Update | December 2, 2020
The combination of cold weather and COVID has reduced Linden’s ability to safely receive visitors. However, we have made accommodations for curbside pickups, along with UPS shipping to Virginia, DC, and (finally!) Maryland. Linden Direct
We will take a pause and close during the holidays and the month of January. We will then re-evaluate our options.
Climate Change and Linden Vineyards
As the climate changes, our wines are changing. Wine is a sort of canary in the climate change coal mine. Our European colleagues raised alarm several decades ago. The grapes from their precisely-planted historical vineyards were ripening earlier. The wines had become different than in the past.
Virginia does not have Europe’s long vinous history, but we too are noticing changes. Over the past decade we have slowly been reacting to climate change in the vineyard and cellar. More recently we have realized that we will need to adapt our vineyards to a warming planet by planting varieties better suited to our new climate.
And perhaps most significantly we are confronting the fact that we are part of the problem.
React
Temperature increases have had a direct impact on wine style. But that is not our biggest problem. Warmer air holds more moisture. And it releases more moisture. Sometimes a lot more. Thunderstorms are more frequent and slower moving. Elevated dew points make breeding grounds for mildews, and menacing remnants of tropical storms can make or break a vintage.
During the summer, the wetness from lingering thunderstorms and morning dews has increased disease pressure. We do everything we can to encourage drying air flow within the vine canopy. Shoot thinning, leaf removal, hedging, and cluster aeration are all canopy management techniques that have become increasingly critical.
Picking decisions have had to become more precise (and stressful). Rain (2018), extreme heat (2019), or tropical storms (2020) have led not only to significant vintage variations, but also to determinations of what kind of wines are produced. In 2018, a rainy year, we felt that the red grapes could not ripen sufficiently to make good red wine. The grapes were picked instead for a very refreshing rosé. This was the first (and hopefully only) vintage that we did not make a red wine. 2019 gave us a hot late summer and fall, which started to roast the grapes and made for a dense tannic red wine, but was not appropriate for rosé. It was the first time Linden has not bottled a rosé since our first rose vintage in 1998. 2020 was more typical except for the constant threat of tropical storms that added more anxiety to an already stressed out year.
Adapt
Several years ago it became apparent that as the climate changed, we needed to plant alternative grape varieties on our site. This is a decades-long process. Vines need to mature and produce through many vintages to be properly evaluated.
We are looking for two viticultural characteristics. The first is late ripening. As the earth warms, grapes are ripening earlier in the season. For the style we aspire to at Linden, there is a ripening sweet spot that is typically between mid-September and early October. Ripening when days are warm and nights are cool best captures the essence of our terroir and makes wine with balance and personality. We are now often starting harvest around Labor Day or even earlier. Warm, muggy nights don’t bode well for high quality wines.
Second is rot resistance. Simply put, some grapes can handle rain during ripening better than others. There is a reason that you don’t see much Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or Sangiovese in the mid-Atlantic. Varieties with compact clusters and thin skins don’t hold up to the remnants of tropical storms. Thick skins, loose clusters, and small berries are desirable characteristics when deciding on a new variety for our experimental vineyard.
Confront
Linden has been contributing to the problem of climate change. We all are. Reducing our footprint is now front and center. In 2008 solar panels went up on the winery roofs. This helped, but now we feel compelled to be more deliberate and aggressive. For the time being I’ll spare you the details for fear of becoming too evangelical. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Under construction, but soon to be functional, these three massive solar trackers
are rather obvious upon approaching the winery. That’s the intention.
Linden Direct
In light of our limited ability to receive guests, we have modernized (for us) and streamlined purchasing for pickups and UPS shipping. We do hope you will consider taking advantage of these options.
Subscribe to monthly Linden Updates for the latest vineyard and cellar information
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Update: December 2, 2020