Linden Update | July 3, 2025

Whiplash: From Drought to Monsoon

It has been quite a while since the vines have been this lush. The drought of 2023 and 2024 seems to be over. During those two years we spread a lot of compost hoping to stimulate and invigorate the vines. But it just sat on the ground without much rain to drive it into the root zone. Now the vines are taking full advantage of both abundant water and abundant nutrients.

In the past this explosion of growth would be worrisome. It will require a lot of extra work this summer. The price is worth it though, especially after two years of observing weak, dull, green vine canopies.

Farmers are never content. Now we need the rain to stop. There are plenty of water reserves in the soil to take us through the summer. Ripening begins in August, and the vines will need to put their energy into the grapes, not into new green growth. This is why by early August it is ideal for the vines to experience some hydric (water) stress. If they are too happy, they will continue to grow more leaves. But they'll already have enough leaves, and we'll just need to keep hedging them off.

Until we figure out how to control the rainfall, we are left with one remedial option: increasing biomass. All plants transpire water from the soil to the atmosphere.  The more leaves, the more water is taken from the soil and put into the air. So by allowing cover crops, grass, and vines to grow more leaves, there will be a higher rate of transpiration.

For every solution there is also a problem: the shade and lack of air circulation can present perfect conditions for mildew growth, especially if we continue to have frequent thunderstorms.  So for the rest of the summer, we'll be literally hedging our bets by allowing for a large, but not too out of control, vine canopy.

McKenzie Richerson in the tasting room at Linden

Seminar | A Sense of Place:
Wines from around the United States

This seminar tasting is a survey of wine styles and geographic influences from around the United States. Winegrowing has expanded beyond its traditional regional confines. How has Virginia's evolution differed from other emerging wine regions such as the Finger Lakes, the Texas High Plains, or the Willamette Valley of Oregon? The tasting will be led by McKenzie Richerson, who received her WSET II and is currently working on WSET III along with Italian Wine Scholar certifications. She has twelve years of experience in the food and beverage industry, and presently works in both the vines and tasting room at Linden.    

  • Sunday, July 13 at 11 am    

  • Linden Vineyards Crush Pad    

  • Reservations are required

  • $50 per person

Cellar Tastings are Back

Longtime Friends of Linden remember cellar tastings. And miss them. Linden is reviving Cellar Tastings. Guests will be surrounded by barrels in the cellar, which is a nice refuge from the summer heat. (Just in case, you may want to bring a sweater.) Conducted by one of Linden's experienced staff, these intimate tastings feature focused, in-depth flights of older single vineyard wines. We'll conclude with a tank sample of the special 2024 Petit Verdot.  

  • Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20, August 2 and 3, August 23 and 24, 11 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm    

  • Reservations are required    

  • $45 per person

If spaces fill up for either event, please email us at wine@lindenvineyards.com to join our waitlist.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Update: June 18, 2025

Linden UpdatesJim Law2025