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White dry
A Chardonnay from the Bunker Hill vineyard in the South Salem Hills, Willamette Valley. Lingua Franca was founded in Oregon in 2015 by Master Sommelier Larry Stone and Burgundy winemaker Dominique Lafon, with Lafon's protégé Thomas Savre in charge of winemaking. Bunker Hill is the oldest source of fruit for any Lingua Franca wine: planted in 1995 on the remnant of a pioneer farm, it is among the earliest Dijon clone (CH76) plantings in Oregon.
In 2022 a late frost devastated the Chardonnay crop, and the grapes were picked to maximise freshness and tension. Pale yellow-green, the wine has a predominantly mineral nose of flint, river stone, green apple and green olive, later opening to fresh herbs, lemon zest and yellow flowers. The palate is precise and taut, with wet stone and saline notes, crisp green apple and thyme, leading to a persistent, firm finish with a mouthwatering mineral quality.
Two thirds of the fruit was whole-cluster pressed. The wine was fermented in new 600-litre puncheons (26%) and older French oak barrels, where full malolactic fermentation completed spontaneously. It spent 11 months on lees in barrel and a further 5 months in tank with its lees.
Serve at 10–12 °C with oysters, pan-fried white fish, chicken in cream sauce or hard cheeses.
Lingua Franca is one of the most modern and highly regarded wineries in Oregon, located in the Willamette Valley, a region renowned for its cool-climate ‘Chardonnay’ and ‘Pinot Noir’. Founded in 2012 by legendary Master Sommelier Larry Stone, the estate quickly gained acclaim. After a long career in some of the world’s finest restaurants, Stone decided to realize his dream of creating wines that speak the language of terroir. He is supported in this project by one of Burgundy’s most respected winemakers, Dominique Lafon (Meursault), while the winemaking is overseen by Thomas Savre, who trained in Burgundy and worked with such iconic domaines as DRC and Domaine Dujac. The name “Lingua Franca” symbolically means a “common language” – the language of wine that connects people across the world.
Wine Style
Lingua Franca wines are known for their elegance, purity, minerality, and balance. The style is based on a philosophy of minimal intervention – fermentation is carried out only with native yeasts, aging on the lees (“sur lie”) brings length and texture, while French oak is used with restraint to enhance structure without overpowering the expression of terroir. These are wines that are enjoyable when young, yet also demonstrate excellent aging potential.
Prestigious Vineyards
Lingua Franca’s flagship site is the LSV Estate Vineyard, located on the southern slopes of Eola–Amity Hills. Its terroir is defined by:
Aging and Drinking Window
Lingua Franca wines are aged in high-quality French oak barrels, typically with only a small proportion of new oak, to preserve subtlety and finesse. Thanks to their structure and precision, these wines shine in their youth but also possess the ability to age gracefully for a decade or more, revealing even greater complexity over time.
