Latest at Linden

Climate Trial Plantings

Today we are planting additional vines in Hardscrabble’s Climate Change Trial Vineyard. This will bring our total up to about two dozen different varieties.

Weather or Not

Last week’s summer was abruptly interrupted. For most of us the extremes are conversational or inconvenient. For farmers they can be disastrous. Winegrowers are farmers. The two weather events we worry most about are frost and hail. Both have been on the increase. In both cases, timing and severity can make or break the bounty of a vintage.

Spring Peepers

Yesterday’s warm temperatures finally triggered the peeps of spring. Peepers are small frogs that live in the mud of wetlands and ponds. When the soil temperature warms enough they emerge from hibernation. They are appropriately called chorus frogs as group peeps can be wonderfully melodic and loud.

New Wine Tastings

Linden’s tasting theme continues, but the wines have changed.

Not Too Worried Yet

Fluctuating warm/cold days in February and March are typical. Climate change has made the swings more extreme. Winegrowers react with both joy and panic.

Industry Visits

Perhaps the most striking sign of a post pandemic world is the return of industry visits. These technical visits are arranged by winegrowers in advance. The goal is to share and to learn on a highly specialized level. As with most professions there is a certain level of experience, technique and jargon that is only understood by those who practice. In other words, we geek out.

Fine Tuning the Hardscrabble Red 2022 Blend

We have finally found a path forward in blending Linden’s Hardscrabble Red 2022. The elegance of Cabernet Sauvignon won out over the power of Cabernet Franc.

Blending Time

It is blending season. Linden’s Red wines are blends of different grape varieties, vineyard blocks, and press fractions.  Now is our time to taste, evaluate, and micro blend with tiny samples. 

Vintage Notes: 2022 Whites

Every January we conduct our first “get acquainted” tasting of the new vintage of white wines. Prior to January the wines are often too cloudy and gassy to give them a proper review. 2022 is in contention to be one of our favorite white vintages. The wines have a core, concentration and length that can only occur under certain September weather conditions.

Vintage Notes: 2022 Reds

The personality of vintage 2022 is now unfolding. Over the last few weeks we have meticulously sampled and tasted each barrel. Both red wines and white wines share a common theme of very finessed acidity and a dense core that will reward aging. These wines should evolve well into the next decade.

How Cold is Too Cold?

The temperature in the vineyard was 2°F on Saturday morning (12/24/22). Based on past experiences, we don’t expect this to be a problem for the vines. But we won’t really know until the vines bud out in April.

This Old House

An old house reminds us of our place in life. We are not the first, nor will we be the last, inhabitants. The long nights of winter solstice give us extra time to sit by the fire and ponder and wonder. How did past generations endure those dark, cold, long nights?

Cabernet Sauvignon

I’ve too often heard comments that “Cabernet Sauvignon can’t ripen in Virginia”.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the majority grape in most of Linden’s red wines. Our high elevation (1,200 to 1,400 feet) makes us one of the coolest areas in Virginia. Cabernet Sauvignon is a late ripening variety. Most of Virginia has enough heat to ripen it. Heat is not the obstacle. Soils are. Cabernet is very soil sensitive. Plant it in the wrong soil and it will not ripen. Plant it in the right soil and it produces magical wines.

The First Day of Pruning

There are many compelling reasons to delay the start of pruning vines. Academicians, consultants, and plant pathologists all caution against pruning early. But after a month of cellar and office work, my separation anxiety from the vineyard was too much to bear. I needed to get outside and I needed to reconnect with the vines.

Shared Knowledge

Winegrowers are in a constant state of discovery as each slope, each site, each microclimate, and each vintage is different.

Rest

We are now at rest.

Two Day Tastings

Most of Linden’s Red wines have finished fermenting. In a few short weeks a slurry of juice and skins has become wine. Now we have to decide when to drain these fermentation vats into barrels.