Today we share one of the greats from Oregon, founded by Larry Stone and David Honig. A few years back Lingua Franca was sold to Constellation Brands and they have just recently opened a new tasting room on the property. Maestro Thomas Savre is one of the state’s finest winemakers. These wines show so well after ten years and have some serous aging potential.
The new wines come from the very classic 2022 vintage which appears to be a really electric vintage, with good tension and flavor density. These might age even better than the 2021s. Check out the gorgeous 2022 Lingua Franca ‘Avni’ Pinot Noir (OB, 93) which is a killer bargain at 40 bucks USD. Even better is the stunning 2021 Lingua Franca ‘Lingua Franca Vineyard’ Chardonnay (OB, 96) which has marvelous minerality and flavor range, with an unctuous mouthfeel. Learn more about Lingua Franca at https://www.linguafranca.wine Here are the beautiful new releases by Lingua Franca.
2022 Lingua Franca ‘Lingua Franca Estate’ Chardonnay- A dazzling new edition of this wine, the 2022 Lingua Franca ‘Lingua Franca Estate’ Chardonnay is a totally stunning wine that is already nicely evolved. Sourced from this steeply sloped location in the Eola-Amity Hills this gorgeous new wine was stored in mainly neutral oak puncheons before bottling. Orange blossom and star jasmine notes mark the nose alongside toasted hazelnuts, flint and shades of juicy nectarine. The palate is concentrated and beautifully textured, with serious weight and a downright unctuous mouthfeel. Wait for the near minute-long finish. A glorious effort from this vintage that ended very late, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 96
2022 Lingua Franca ‘Chers Amis’ Chardonnay- The 2022 ‘Chers Amis’ comes from a site near their estate vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. This is wonderfully flinty and mineral-laden on the mouth, reveling in its lemon oil, oyster shell and bright melon fruit flavors. Medium to full-bodied with pastry crust accents, enjoy this outstanding wine now and over the next ten years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2021 Lingua Franca ‘Mimi’s Mind’ Pinot Noir- The 2021 ‘Mimi’s Mind’ comes from what was formerly the Hopewell Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA — a site that neighbors the Lingua Franca Estate vineyard. The wine combines Dijon clone 777 and Pommard selections, as this was stored in largely neutral oak barrels before bottling. This beautifully showcases the heat of the vintage, offering generous red fruits with wild blackberry, tobacco leaf, and shades of wet stones on the palate, with orange rind accents. Complex and delicious, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Lingua Franca ‘Tongue ’N Cheek’ Pinot Noir- The tension-filled 2022 Lingua Franca ‘Tongue ’N Cheek’ Pinot Noir is a fantastic bottling that combines clonal selections 943 and 777. Deeply colored in the glass, this offers red rose petals and volcanic earth alongside shades of tangerine zest and guava. The palate is plush and filled with bright minerality and crunchy red fruits. A joy to consume now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Lingua Franca ‘Avni’ Pinot Noir- The really good 2022 ‘Avni’ Pinot Noir comes a few sites in the Willamette Valley including roughly 30% from the Lingua Franca Estate vineyard. The wine was stored in 27% new and 73% old French oak barriques for 12 months as well as 4 in tank prior to bottling. This is juicy and gorgeous Pinot Noir with bright pomegranate seed fruits alongside tar, black currants, stony minerals and beautiful tension. Soft and round on the mouth, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2022 Lingua Franca ‘Lingua Franca Estate’ Pinot Noir- A gorgeous new bottling, the 2022 Lingua Franca ‘Lingua Franca Estate’ Pinot Noir is a stunning wine that is already nicely evolved. Once on the nose this takes on layers of white truffle shavings, anise, wet stones and shades of Mandarin orange rind. The palate is nervy and tense with a smooth mouthfeel and plenty of minerality alongside a generous core of red fruits. Fantastic to enjoy now, savor this beauty over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Lingua Franca ‘The Plow’ Pinot Noir- Another gorgeous release of this wine, the unabashedly big 2022 Lingua Franca ‘The Plow’ Pinot Noir is a deep purple in the glass. A barrel selection wine, this edition comes from a range of Estate Vineyard sites that are set on Jory soils. The wine was stored in only 21% new French oak barriques for 12 months followed by an additional 5 months in stainless steel tank before bottling. It is lifted and beautifully perfumed wine that offers pink rose petals, menthol, white pepper and smoldering stones on the nose. The palate is silky smooth and ridiculously complex — with no rough edges. A magical new bottling by Thomas Savre, enjoy over the next twenty years. Drink 2024-2044- 96
2021 Lingua Franca ‘Nov Vino’ Pinot Noir- This 2022 Pinot Noir is a two barrel selection of Pinot Noir in which one barrel was completely destemmed and the other was given 100% whole cluster fermentation. This is a very generous and broad-shouldered wine, with dense red and dark fruits alongside shades of milk chocolate, green peppercorns, black truffle and shades of stony minerals alongside peat moss accents. The flavor complexity and flavor density exhibited here is nothing short of exhilarating. What a wine! Drink 2024-2044- 97