Tannins
Yesterday was shift day. The shift was a mental one where obsession with acids was replaced with obsession of tannins: the transition from whites to reds. Today we are picking the last of Hardscrabble Chardonnay.
Read MoreHardscrabble Chardonnay
When to pick is by far the most important of all winemaking decisions. A large part of this process is about reading the vintage. Our goal is to make wines that express terroir and vintage.
Read MoreBlend
Shari conducted a massive lab session yesterday so we have good analytical information on both the juice already in the tanks and the grapes on the vines. The results serve mostly as a confirmation of what we are tasting, but with a few surprises.
Read MoreGrape Palate
This week continues another methodical harvest/crush sequence. Pick Monday, chill grapes over night, crush Tuesday. Repeat.
Read MoreHedging Bets
This weekend we crushed and pressed more small lots of Avenius Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay along with Boisseau Viognier. Our strategy of “micro picking” parts of blocks based on soil, vine age and ripeness seems to be working.
Read MoreBear Strategies
When I first planted Hardscrabble Vineyard in 1985 our biggest problem was deer predation to the young tender shoots and then eventually to the clusters.
Read MoreCompressed Harvest
It is becoming evident that 2016 will be a compressed harvest. Typically we start in early September with Sauvignon Blanc and end in mid to even late October with Cabernet and Petit Verdot.
Read MoreGood Routine and a Good Team
Thursday was a very good, productive crush day. We worked out the kinks on Tuesday which was the first day of crush (a few small lots), so our first big day was wonderfully uneventful
Read MoreBig, Hot Pick
Wednesday, September 7 marked the beginning of what looks like a very intense, productive couple of weeks of harvest and crush. The result of this hot, dry weather, most of the whites are ripening simultaneously.
Read MoreVintage 2016 off and running
Linden’s 2016 harvest started on September 5. We picked Boisseau Viognier, but only the vines on the top of the hill, as the lower vines were behind in ripening.
Read More