Chardonnay 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. The grapes were about to lose their freshness (acidity) and gain too much sugar (potential alcohol). Avenius requires precision picking (harvesting at the exact best time) because it is a single block. Shari Avenius planted one acre of Chardonnay in 1996. Those vines are all of the same clone and rootstock. They ripen in unison. In order to make a balanced wine they have to be picked when the flavors, skins, and chemistry align.

Hardscrabble Chardonnay is a blended wine. Of course it is 100% Chardonnay and 100% from Hardscrabble Vineyard, but there are six distinct blocks planted, each with different soils, clones, rootstocks, vine density, and age. These diverse blocks ripen at different times. This year we decided to let the younger blocks ride out the heatwave. We picked them earlier this week. They will make a very ripe, high alcohol, lower acid wine. On its own, the wine would not be Linden’s classic fresh nervy style. 

However today we start to pick the old vines. They still retain lots of acidity and the sugars are only moderate. The wines from these vines will be very fresh, racy and medium bodied. The plan is that the wines from the young and old vines will be blended to make a balanced (but still very concentrated) Hardscrabble Chardonnay.

• Subscribe to Linden Updates for the latest vineyard and cellar information.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal/Field Notes: September 14, 2023