In the Barn

All of Linden’s Chardonnay is now “in the barn”. The grapes took full advantage of dry, sunny weather. The wines should have classic balance and good concentration, something we didn’t think possible after such a wet summer. The 2022 vintage could rival the 2017 Chardonnays. Too early to make that call, but optimism prevails.

Tough Decisions

Our eyes are now on red grapes and the track of Hurricane Ian. We’ll start red harvest on Wednesday. Ian will decide for us how much to pick. If the track looks like it will be a rainmaker, then we will pick steadily for two or three days straight. If Ian veers out to sea, then we will enjoy a leisurely pick to allow for additional ripeness.

When to pick is our most important winemaking decision. Harvesting each variety and each block at just the right time dictates the style and balance of the resulting wine. Some grapes are now at the peak of ripeness. They will be picked first. Others are ripe enough to make good wine, but to make potentially great wine, they need another week to ten days of sunny dry weather. Hurricane Ian presents us with a conundrum. Rains from remnants of hurricanes can often be devastating to grapes on the vine at this stage. The skins are fragile and can split and rot with copious rain. The vines can also absorb water from saturated soils and dilute flavors and concentration.

Right now Ian’s potential impact on our vines is unclear. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) on the forecast for Ian’s track: “uncertainty in the long-term track and intensity forecast is higher than usual”.

So we also go into this week’s harvest with a great degree of uncertainty. We’ll start to pick the grapes that are unquestionably ready. But as to those grapes that are close to being ready, the call will have to be made to “hold them or fold them” at the last minute.

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.

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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Update: September 26, 2022