Journal | May 4, 2026
Typicity and Climate Change
Typicity is my favorite wine tasting word. A wine can be typical of the grape (aka varietal character), but it is most satisfying when it is an expression of place. I always search for typicity when blind tasting. Certain aroma markers can trigger an unmistakable terroir. A crystalline mineral acidity makes a connection.
Global warming is changing typicity, especially in white wines. Harvests are earlier. Mild nights and hot days during ripening can result in white wines losing their typicity of crystalline, mineral acidity and seashell or slate aromas. Chablis is a classic example where terroir has always trumped grape variety (Chardonnay). I’ve been methodically tasting recent warm vintages of Chablis and often not recognizing them. They are still great wines, but not what I remember.
Global warming has positioned Chablis in a stylistic crossroad. Some producers are able to hold on to typicity and crafting wines with all the classic markers of seashell, flinty aromas and lean, bracing structure. Others are letting go of the traditional style and embracing a warmer, richer, deeper style. These wines are more like the white Burgundies of Cote d’Or. Oak can often play a role, which never used to be the case.
This matters to us because we are just a few steps behind Europe in terms of the warming effect on ripening. I’m particularly concerned about our white wines. Over the past three vintages our picking dates for Chardonnay have moved from late September to occasionally as early as late August. This most certainly has an impact on wine style. Our vineyard management, picking and blending decisions are being re-evaluated.
We have more flexibility than our Chablisien counterparts who are presently legally bound to growing only Chardonnay. We are now exploring planting Mediterranean white grape varietals that are well adapted to heat and hold some beautiful acidity even when ripening under hot conditions. The typicity of Hardscrabble will change and climate change will determine the extent of that change
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: May 4, 2026