Linden Update | May 6, 2026

A new shoot emerging post-frost next to an older shoot — potential for uneven ripening and poor wine quality. 

Frost Follow Up

Two weeks ago frost damaged some of our lower vineyard blocks. We are just now starting to get a handle on the scale and consequences. Damaged vines are taking their time pushing out new growth. Some blocks still look bleak. We are hoping that this sluggish rebound is due to the cool temperatures over the past few weeks, but also fearful that the vines had been weakened by other events that make their recovery slow and uneven. More on this later.

We are looking at three different scenarios. The vines on the upper slopes are happy and healthy. These vines are teaming with clusters and we are now shoot thinning (hand removing excess shoots) to reduce what would otherwise be an excessive crop.

The second scenario is by far the most challenging. The vines at mid-slope suffered varying degrees of frost damage. With strategic and meticulous thinning some will have a full crop and others will have a partial crop. However there could be a lack of uniformity. Vines should have an even separation between retained shoots and clusters so that each receives the same amount of sun and air flow within the canopy. But this year in the "partially frosted" vines we will have to retain clumps of fruitful shoots, crowding some areas and at the same time leaving gaps along the trellis where nothing is growing.

Eventually additional new shoots will emerge with clusters of grapes that will be weeks behind the unfrosted primary shoots. This would lead to uneven ripening and poor wine quality (what we refer to as an "underripe/overripe" profile). Some of these shoots need to be retained for their strategic position (renewal spurs for next year). If they have clusters, the clusters will have to be removed by hand before color change in August while we can still see a distinct difference in their size. By harvest time they would all look the same, but taste very different.

Finally as to the lower parcels that were completely frosted, we are just hoping for a flush of new growth so that they can be back in production for 2027. These poor vines have already experienced two years of invasive sap sucking Spotted Lanternflies, a couple of drought years, and a severe winter. Each spring the initial  growth is generated by stored carbohydrates from the previous growing season. This spring those frosted shoots had already used up a lot of their reserves, so we worry about how much more is now available.

Lots of unknowns, lots of challenges, lots of decisions, and a lot more work. We know quantities will be down. Our job is to make sure that quality doesn't suffer.

New Comparative Tasting

We like to change our tasting with the ever-changing seasons. Our comparative tastings contrast across themes of age, vintage, and terroir. With things warming up, our new tasting is quaffable wines. We start with two Chardonnays highlighting the power of age - the complex 2019 Village Chardonnay and bright 2023 Village Chardonnay. Next is a terroir comparison of two punchy 2022 Sauvignon Blancs - Avenius and Hardscrabble. We finish with a vintage comparison of Clarets, which tell the story of each growing season.

Tastings are $30 per person. We are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11-5pm. Reservations are recommended; walk-ins are welcome as space is available.

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Cellar Tastings

Between Spring bottling and setting up for harvest, the cellar is delightfully quiet. So we now are able to revive Cellar Tastings for select summer weekends. This in-depth tasting compares and contrasts our smaller production single vineyard wines and is conducted by one of Linden's experienced staff. The cool cellar is a nice refuge from the summer heat. (Just in case, you may want to bring a sweater.) Space is limited, we plan to offer more cellar tastings later in the summer.

  • May 30 and 31 and June 6 and 7

  • 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm

  • $50 per person

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Linden UpdatesJim Law2026