Hardscrabble Journal

Final Day for Red Harvest

Today we pick the last of the Hardscrabble Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. I forgot what it is like to pick on frosty mornings, waiting for the sun to rise and warm over the eastern ridge. These last days have been very satisfying as the clusters are in good shape with flavors resolved. 

Acids remain on the high side. They will define the structure of Linden’s 2020 red wines. This year, the skin tannins are not of the highest quality. We knew that this would be the case in August. Back then too much rain stimulated vine growth. Instead of concentrating on ripening, the vines put energy into growing new leaves. We could see the results in the color change of the individual berries in the clusters (veraison). An uneven, and long veraison means uneven skin tannin ripening at harvest.

Now at harvest, each individual berry tastes slightly different. The lack of tannin uniformity can be problematic, as the less ripe tannins are bitter and harsher. Knowing this, we are doing very light, delicate extractions during fermentation. Temperatures are kept cool. Movements are minimal (one pump-over or punch-down per day), and time on the skins (cuvaison) will be short.  The goal is to de-emphasis harsh tannins in the wine and let the natural acidity play the lead role in defining the wine’s structure and length.

Our 2020 vintage could be stylistically more like Burgundy than Bordeaux.

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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: October 18, 2020