Vintage 2024 will commence on Friday, August 23 at Boisseau Vineyard. We’ll be picking Chardonnay and Viognier. This is our earliest start of harvest. Avenius and Hardscrabble Sauvignon Blanc will most likely follow next week.
Read MoreWe are not seeing much bird damage this year. There are those who have theories as to why (heat, drought, hurricane winds), but bottom line this is just one less thing to lose sleep over.
Read MoreVeraison (color change) of our Cabernet Sauvignon cluster is nearly complete. The waiting game starts. There is now very little that we can do in the vineyard to make improvements in wine quality. We turn our attention to preparation for harvest and crush.
Read MoreAs I write this, Debby is passing just to the west of Linden. We’ve had a lot of rain. Four+ inches is my guess at this point.
Read MoreOur Cabernet Sauvignon cluster went through the 50% veraison stage on Thursday, August 1.
Read MoreA few berries on our Cabernet Sauvignon cluster have turned color. This transition is called veraison. This year it is early. All indications point to an early harvest.
Read MoreOur Cabernet Sauvignon cluster is now in “lag phase”. When grape berries develop, there are three distinct physiological phases from bloom to harvest. In June and most of July, the berries enlarge quickly due to the cells dividing. They accumulate a lot of acid, but very little sugar (sour grapes). But about seven weeks after bloom the cells cease dividing and pause. This second stage is called lag phase.
Read MoreOur designated Cabernet Sauvignon cluster remains large, loose and full. This year Cabernet Sauvignon clusters are bigger than normal. The previous year’s weather in June determines this year’s cluster size and number of clusters per shoot.
Read MoreOur Cabernet Sauvignon cluster hasn’t changed much. This is very good news. The berries remain small.
Read MoreLast week we finished aerating the last block of our vineyard. Aeration refers to removing (by hand) any unwanted shoots, leaves, or side shoots (laterals) that block air flow and light from getting to the clusters. This is a very time consuming, meticulous task. It improves both fungus disease prevention and wine quality.
Read MoreThe personality of vintage 2024 is starting to unfold. It is dry. Less than an inch of rain fell in June.
Read MoreHardscrabble’s Cabernet Sauvignon berries are now pea sized. We haven’t had any measurable rain for several weeks. Dry soils may be slowing down berry size development which would be good for the quality of the 2024 vintage.
Read MoreAt the end of the day in Linden’s tasting room we finish with a staff tasting of a mystery wine. Linden has a selection of wines from all over the world. At the end of the day a wine is chosen by a staff member. The bottle is bagged, hiding its identity. We taste, we discuss, we debate and then unveil.
Read MoreOur Cabernet Sauvignon cluster now has berries at the “peppercorn” stage. Winegrowers make food comparisons to berry size (pea sized coming soon, then garbanzo bean). Viticulturalists (grapevine scientists) communicate size in millimeters. Winegrowers have more fun.
Read MoreEvery week through mid-August I will post an incredibly boring or most enlightening missive on the development of one Cabernet Sauvignon grape cluster. It depends on your level of interest. Mine is quite high which is why I’m doing this.
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