Frost again?
Vulnerable.
Once again. Most of our vines have budded out and are now freeze susceptible.
Read MoreThis is why vines are planted on slopes!
After dire warnings of a bud killing freeze, the only thing we lost was sleep.
Read MoreSnow Yesterday, Frost Tomorrow?
It’s complicated. Some vines have budded out. Snow is not a problem. But temperatures below 30°F are a problem.
Read MoreClimate Change and Bottling
This week we bottled Linden’s 2020 red wines. This was a good five months earlier than our typical bottling regime for red wines. Vintage 2020’s weather produced wines with refreshing, crunchy red fruit and acidity. We felt that additional barrel aging would muddle the purity of the wines. So it was decided to bottle early.
Read MoreSilvio Grasso Bricco Luciani Barolo 2008
An iron fist in a velvet glove. Restrained, but powerful. Great food wine. Only gets better with time in the glass.
Read MoreBlending Part III: Respect the Vintage
We spent last week focused on blending trials for Hardscrabble Red 2021. In our initial tastings the Cabernet Sauvignon was most impressive, but we felt that the riper, more full-bodied Cabernet Franc would play an important role in building the mid-palate of the final blend. We were mistaken.
Read MoreBlending Trials: Part II
We came to consensus on the blend for Avenius Red 2021 fairly quickly. At the first flight, the wine with the most finesse and elegance was the unanimous preference. We then worked around that blend for two days, adding and subtracting components. Invariably, the original blend was preferred in every blind tasting.
Read MoreBlending Trials: Part I
Blending trials begin in January. After several weather delays we finally got started this week. Red wines from the previous vintage (2021) have now settled down and are beginning to show their personalities. We also have time. This is a slow process.
Read MoreWarm Winter Worries
No snow. The grass is still green. No ice on the pond. No winter this year?
Read MoreDecember’s Twelve Bottles
Read MoreA First Look at Vintage 2021
This week we systematically tasted samples from barrels of the 2021 vintage.
Read MoreMentor Wine: Branaire-Ducru 2009
A number of years ago, Steven Spurrier of “Judgment of Paris” fame visited Linden. He was particularly impressed with our 2009 Hardscrabble Red, which reminded him of Branaire-Ducru, a classified growth estate in St. Julian, Bordeaux.
Read MoreDecember Fireside Seminar for Friends of Linden
Read MoreProgress Report: 2021 Red Wines
This week wines from Linden’s red fermenters were drained into barrels. This was earlier than normal, but they were in a good place in their evolution and we did not want to over extract. We are getting a better sense of the wines. But they are still finishing up their malolactic fermentations which makes them a bit funky and gassy. That will soon blow off.
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