A Little Bit of Optimisim
Finally the weather is in our favor. I can’t remember the last time we went a full week without rain. The vines are finally settling down with green growth slowing.
Read MorePunt
This week we will take the first sampling of Sauvignon Blanc grapes (always the first to ripen). Shari will run lab tests quantifying sugar, pH, and acid amounts. We will taste the juice for aroma and flavor. While harvest is still weeks away, this sampling and evaluation will give us a better idea as to when we might expect to start the vintage.
Read MoreWhere is that Canadian Cold Front?
In the debate of which growing season has been the most challenging, 2018 is starting to edge out 2003. We can’t seem to get a long enough dry spell to slow vine growth and give us a break. So far the clusters look good, but I can’t imagine that they will be able to hold on for too much longer if this stormy weather pattern persists.
Read MoreReady to Dry Out
Last week included disbelief, denial, and a reality check. After more than two months of record rains we felt that we should certainly be due for a change. Last week’s rains were salt on the wound.
Read MoreVeraison
Veraison has commenced. This is when the grapes turn color and start the ripening stage. So far only a few berries have colored. When 50% of the berries in any given block turn, the date is noted.
Read MorePalate Tune-ups
At Linden we practice palate-based winemaking. This means that our decisions are based primarily on taste rather than science or numbers. This works because we make wine from vineyards where we have grown and harvested the grapes for decades. There is a sense of what to expect, but always with a dash of surprise.
Read MoreA More Relaxed Pace
The last three weeks of hot, dry weather have finally calmed the rate of vine growth. After a very intense two months of “green work’’, we finally have the vineyard canopy in good order.
Read MoreGood Child, Bad Child
Thus far the rainy spring of vintage 2018 has produced vines of extreme vigor and unruly growth. I can’t remember the last time we spent so many days cutting out unwanted lateral shoots, leaves, tips, and/or suckers.
Read MoreBack to Normal
Ten yellow suns in a row appeared on the weather web site. This is exactly what the vines need.
Read MoreAeration
This has been a very intense week in the vineyard. Vine growth is unprecedented as copious amounts of rain and typical summer temperatures create hothouse conditions.
Read MoreEnough
Brilliant sunlight, breezes, and low humidity make for a better outlook when walking the vineyard. The crop will be shy, especially chardonnay and merlot. But there is enough.
Read MoreGrapes, Clones, and Rain
Finally we have had a few sunny days, but now it is back to rain. June is our busiest time in the vineyard and this June has been especially demanding.
Read MoreBiblical Rains II
Angst. Intellectually I know that everything will be all right. I’ve lived through this before. Spring 1997 experienced this level of precipitation, and it continues to be one of the all-time great vintages.
Read MoreBiblical Rains
“Biblical” may be a bit of an exaggeration for five inches of rain in one week. It certainly seemed that way as we helplessly watched the unabated growth of the grass, weeds and vines.
Read MoreViticulture Visits
Yesterday was a very good day. I spent a good part of the day shoot thinning Hardscrabble’s three-year-old Chardonnay…. While working, my thoughts kept drifting back to a visit I had last summer with a very fanatical winegrower in Barolo.
Read MoreFirst Flush
The first flush of vine shoots appeared very quickly last week. Good soil moisture and temperatures in the 80˚F pushed buds from swell to 2” or 3” length in a matter of three days. This is all good.
Read MoreBrown to Green
This spring has taken an unusually long time to arrive, but now that it has, the transformation has been sudden.
Read MoreReady, Set, Go
Linden’s big planting is accomplished with 3,000 new Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc vines in the ground. I needed to make some difficult decisions along the way…
Read MoreRestrictive Agricultural Ideologies
Last week was a very good week. Lots of new vines and 26 tons of chicken litter made it into the ground before a big soaking rain. The final blocks of Cabernet are nearly all pruned.
Read MoreWhat the forsythia tells us
The first blooming of Forsythia was duly recorded last Friday. This is one of many important indicators of predicting, tracking and recording each spring’s evolution. Linden’s spring indicator records go back decades.
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