Still Waiting

At this writing the sun is bright and a drying wind gusts out of the north. Six hours ago it was damp, foggy, and drizzling. Our erratic growing season seems to want to continue into harvest.

Harvest will be late this year, which could be a blessing. The vines could use a prolonged blast of Canadian high pressure which is more likely to happen in mid-September. We’ve found that low dew points, cool nights, and a warm sun are the best ingredients to make great wine.

Waiting is the hardest part. Especially if it is raining. The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes are very close to full maturity. But to make a balanced, terroir-driven wine, close isn’t good enough. If we had decided to pick before this week’s rainy spells, the wine would be lean and bracingly tart. By the end of this week we could start harvest, but waiting until next week would be even better.

Unfortunately Sauvignon Blanc has tight clusters and thin skins, which makes it susceptible to rot under wet conditions. The forecast is somewhat undecided on what happens next. It looks like our first day of harvest will also be undecided for now.

New Fall Tastings

We’ve re-released several of the 2016 and 2017 wines as they tend to pair well with cool, crisp, autumn air that is sure to be here any day now. Terroir and vintage comparisons remain the tasting theme.

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

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Update: September 7, 2022