Hail
We are often asked about how we are adapting to a new climate. There are still too many unknowns for us to come up with a comprehensive plan, but some pieces are starting to fall into place.
Read MoreGreen, so Green
Summer thunderstorms have continually refreshed ground moisture this growing season. The vines, the cover crops, and the grass retain a spring-like green lushness.
Read MoreBig Vines, Big Clusters, Big Crop
Well-timed rains and lots of sun have brought abundance to the vineyard. The vines require extra hedging and trimming as shoot growth is exuberant. Cluster size is much larger than typical due to good weather conditions during flowering and pollination. The potential crop is large. Too large. These yields would produce thin, uninteresting wines as the vines would struggle to sufficiently ripen the grapes.
Read MoreFine Tuning
The pace in the vineyard has not slowed, but we are slowly transitioning from the basics to fine tuning. Basics refers to the more mundane tasks of tying up shoots and hedging excessively long shoots. A rainy spring has stimulated vine growth, so we will be occupied with these jobs for the foreseeable future.
Read MoreShaping Up
Vintage 2022 is starting to take shape. Two aspects stand out: a potentially abundant crop and vigorous vine growth.
Read MoreWet
So here we are in late May and it has been raining a lot. What does this mean for the vines and for the vintage.
Read MoreGreen Work
This week begins the start of seasonal “green work.” This refers to all the tasks of pulling, plucking, tying, positioning, and hedging the newly emerging (green) growth of the vines. This vineyard work is detailed, complex, often tedious, and difficult to describe.
Read MoreFrost Free
Not that cold last night, only in the high 30’s. We are feeling good and ready to start the season on a good footing.
Read More31°F
Last night we had a freeze. But it was not freezing enough to do damage to the vines (we think).
Read MoreFrost again?
Vulnerable.
Once again. Most of our vines have budded out and are now freeze susceptible.
Read MoreThis is why vines are planted on slopes!
After dire warnings of a bud killing freeze, the only thing we lost was sleep.
Read MoreSnow Yesterday, Frost Tomorrow?
It’s complicated. Some vines have budded out. Snow is not a problem. But temperatures below 30°F are a problem.
Read MoreClimate Change and Bottling
This week we bottled Linden’s 2020 red wines. This was a good five months earlier than our typical bottling regime for red wines. Vintage 2020’s weather produced wines with refreshing, crunchy red fruit and acidity. We felt that additional barrel aging would muddle the purity of the wines. So it was decided to bottle early.
Read MoreBlending Part III: Respect the Vintage
We spent last week focused on blending trials for Hardscrabble Red 2021. In our initial tastings the Cabernet Sauvignon was most impressive, but we felt that the riper, more full-bodied Cabernet Franc would play an important role in building the mid-palate of the final blend. We were mistaken.
Read MoreBlending Trials: Part II
We came to consensus on the blend for Avenius Red 2021 fairly quickly. At the first flight, the wine with the most finesse and elegance was the unanimous preference. We then worked around that blend for two days, adding and subtracting components. Invariably, the original blend was preferred in every blind tasting.
Read MoreBlending Trials: Part I
Blending trials begin in January. After several weather delays we finally got started this week. Red wines from the previous vintage (2021) have now settled down and are beginning to show their personalities. We also have time. This is a slow process.
Read MoreWarm Winter Worries
No snow. The grass is still green. No ice on the pond. No winter this year?
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