Cabernet Franc | Vine Age
There is a certain mystery and allure about wines made from old vines.
Read MoreCabernet Franc | Yields
Given a proper amount of sun, nutrients and water grapevines can yield an impressive quantity of grapes. But large yields will dilute the flavors and concentration of the resulting wine.
Read MoreCabernet Franc
What winemaker hasn’t declared that “wine is made in the vineyard.” But that is usually as far as the discussion goes. Vineyard influences are complicated and nuanced. As a result of years of trial and error in the vineyard, we have a newfound appreciation of Cabernet Franc. So I thought that our discovery process would serve as a good tutorial as to how vineyard decisions influence wine quality.
Read MoreCritically Tasting the 2023 Reds.
Taste is subjective. Individual preferences along with environment and context can make objective evaluation difficult. This is especially true when it comes to one’s own wine. Tasting your wine in a vacuum leads to what is known in the trade as “cellar palate”. It is important to get out of the cellar and taste your wine with others.
Read MoreFirst Impressions of 2023 Wines
The dry summer of vintage 2023 gave us ripe, concentrated grapes. There was never any question that these would be powerful, mouth-filling wines. With a vintage like this making big bruiser wines is easy. Folding balance and finesse into that power is the hard part.
Read More2023 Reds: Power and Finesse?
Most of the 2023 red wines are now finished fermenting. This means that the yeasts have done their job and the wines are dry (no remaining sweetness).
Read More2023 Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot has finally been harvested and crushed. All red grapes are now fermenting in a very tight, crowded cellar. Of all the grapes we picked in 2023, the Petit Verdot remains the biggest unknown as to the style and quality of the wine.
Read MoreBack in the Cellar
All the grapes are in with the exception of the “Petits”. We’ll probably harvest Petit Verdot this Thursday, and Petit Manseng will hopefully go the distance for a late harvest in a month.
Read MoreCold Grapes
This past weekend’s rain didn’t do us any favors. This week’s dreary weather has left the grapes cold. Literally and figuratively.
Read MoreBig Week for Reds
This past week was a picking marathon. In advance of weekend rain we picked all the Merlot, most of Boisseau Vineyard, and all of the young vines at Hardscrabble. This past week’s picking strategy serves as a good primer on the relationship between grape maturity parameters and wine quality.
Read MoreFrom Whites to Reds
Saturday was our last day of white wine crush (with the important exception of Late Harvest Petit Manseng which is usually in November). The Chardonnay is more intense and concentrated than any other vintage I have experienced. Tomorrow we retool the crush equipment for reds and then Tuesday we dive right into Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Read MoreChardonnay Harvest Strategies
Avenius Vineyard Chardonnay was picked last week in the early morning hours during the heat wave. Harvesting in hot conditions is not desirable, but it was necessary.
Read MoreDrought ended (for the time being)
Last night we had two and a half inches of terrifying rain in a couple of hours. Terrifying because these severe storms included a small dose of hail.
Read MoreWater Stress and Wine
In most circumstances some drought stress (also known as hydric stress) makes for big, concentrated red wines. This is what we are hoping for this year.
Read MoreHarvest Update
Harvest and crush are underway at Linden. We’ve picked Boisseau Chardonnay and Viognier along with Hardscrabble Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The picking was easy as the clusters were pristine with no rot or bird damage. Crush was a breeze too. There was nothing really to sort out. The only down side was low juice yields as the grapes are not very juicy. Lots of pulp.
Read MoreVintage 2023 Starts Today
Today is the first day of harvest. We start at daybreak picking Boisseau Chardonnay and Viognier. Both blocks are very small and the picking should only take about 4 hours. We will then head back to Hardscrabble to pick Semillon. Across the board these are the most beautiful, flawless, perfect looking clusters I have ever seen. Droughts do have some benefits: no disease issues.
Read MoreRecords
The most important winemaking decision is when to pick. We walk the vines, taste the grapes, take samples for lab analysis, taste the juice sample, and watch the weather. But each vintage is unique and this critical decision isn’t always straightforward.
Read MoreNext Week
Next week harvest will begin. It is an early start due to our continued drought-like conditions. … We are waiting for a predicted high-pressure system that will sweep through in mid-week. By the end of the week we should experience classic early fall weather: cool nights and low humidity.
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