Vintage 2019 is progressing well. The first milestone of a vintage’s success is flowering. This year’s flowering was early (late May through the first week in June). Conditions were ideal with warm, sunny, dry days.
2018’s planting struggled to get going this spring. Some vines did not make it through the winter, as they were too weak after the unforgiving rains and lack of sun last year. The planting is looking healthier now.
Read MoreSpring is unfolding nicely. Budbreak was right on time. No frost, and enough (but not too much) rain. Wonderfully normal with no surprises, just what we farmers hope for.
Fortunately, this spring’s excitement is contained to the tasting room. Three new, distinct wines have just been released.
Chardonnay, being our most precocious variety, is the indicator of spring’s progression. No sign of bud swell.
Vintage 2018 was difficult.
Linden is now open Fridays.
Jim Law will present older library vintages along with some yet to be released wines.
Three years ago I started writing about the decision to remove and replant the vines growing on one of Hardscrabble’s best vineyard sites.
For those interested in adding more depth to their wine knowledge, Linden’s current cellar tasting is a classic.
Read MoreThis winter has been uneventful, laidback, and kind of boring. Just how we like it. Vintage 2018 took a lot out of us and extra time was needed for a proper recovery. We are now ready to get going. We are giving you lots of reasons to visit.
Snow is magical and we love it at Linden.
Linden will recommence a series of in-depth seminars that focus on our thirty years of winegrowing. Reservations can only be made on Linden’s website. (No phone reservations accepted.)
In order to make your weekend planning easier, reservations can now be secured online for Linden’s Saturday Special Cellar Tastings. Walk-ins are also welcome if space permits.
We are thrilled to have a restaurant of such caliber so close to Linden.
Read MoreWinter slows the pace at Linden. After an intense and often stressful harvest season, we can now take time to get re-acquainted with our past vintages. For the last several years we have enjoyed sharing this process with all of you.
The trials and tribulations of the 2018 growing season have consumed my attention, so it has been a while since I’ve written about Linden’s Terroir Project.
Read MoreVintage 2018 finished last week with the harvest of Petit Manseng. While it was a difficult year, I’m very confident about the decisions that were made and the wines that will be bottled. As winegrowers we know that there is no alternative to the hand that we are dealt.
Read MoreThis has been the wettest growing season I have ever experienced.
For those of you who have an interest in following the progression of the 2018 vintage, I have been faithfully posting weekly updates in Hardscrabble Journal on Linden’s new web site.
Read MoreThe vines are exhibiting a high degree of resilience through all this gloomy rain. We growers take note and try to follow suit.
Read MoreThis spring has given the vines a very good start to vintage 2018. Very late in starting, there has been no time wasted in trying to catch up.
Read MoreI’ve been delaying updating you about Linden’s spring vineyard activities. Best to wait for spring weather to arrive. I haven’t yet given up on spring 2018, they say it will arrive later this week, so with great optimism here we go!
Read MoreThe winter of 2018 started with worrisome volatile temperature swings reminiscent of recent Dow Jones activity. However the past few weeks have settled down to a typical, but dreary mid-winter normal.
Read MoreOur farmer’s worries have started early this vintage as we watch the mercury drop. Temperatures below zero can damage vines. But it is complicated. Long story short, we should be OK with this current bout of arctic air.
Read MoreLast December we introduced a different kind of tasting format. We call it Free Form. Each weekend the tastings will vary and will include pre-releases and older vintages.
Read More2017 will be our benchmark vintage for decades to come. This is one of the rare years where both whites and reds were harvested with high expectations.
Read MoreIt has been a well-paced harvest so far at Linden Vineyards. Most of the white varieties are “in the barn”, perking along. Fruity, yeasty aromas waft up to the tasting room.
Read MoreAfter a very dry June and July our vines were in need of a good rain. An inch or two would have been great, but in just a few hours on August 11 we received 3.5 inches. This ended the drought and refreshed our stressed young vines.
Read MoreMost of you live in the area and have been experiencing our classic Mid-Atlantic summer. You may wonder how the vines are doing with the heat, humidity and lack of rain. The short answer is “fine”. The longer version is “it depends”.
Read MoreI’m reminded of an old winegrower’s adage: “June makes the quantity, September makes the quality.”
Read MoreMother Nature has been a bit of a wild woman. The vines shrugged off February temperatures in the 80°’s, teens in March and patchy frost in May. Our resilient vines have survived.
Read More