Description
Our Philosophy
Lingua Franca is the exploration of Oregon
with an open mind, focused on picking fruit
optimally for freshness, tension and
complexity—based on the varying conditions
of the season and the terroir of individual
vineyard blocks which are farmed by organic
and regenerative farming principals. The
land, the way it’s farmed and the quality of
the light on east-facing slopes in the
Willamette Valley are what shape the wines.
Our Team
Lingua Franca was co-founded by Larry Stone
and Dominique Lafon in 2015, inspired by
the exceptional vineyard in the Eola-Amity
Hills that Larry bought in 2012 and planted in
2013. Thomas Savre, who worked at some of
the top domains in Burgundy, is responsible
for overseeing the winemaking and farming.
He is a master at capturing the character of
each vineyard site with every vintage.
Vintage Notes:
Winter was extremely cold, with a historic ice
storm that left the region without power for
two weeks. It remained cool and wet
throughout early spring, but warmed up in
time to have a major heat dome event at the
end of June with record-breaking 116°F
temperatures. The resiliency of our nonirrigated soils, having fractured basalt as both
an insulator as well as source of stored water
meant that our vines had almost no negative
effect and remained verdant all the way
through. The heat event reduced mildew
pressure from a wet spring and the harvest
proceeded with fruit in perfect balance and
excellent, moderately cool conditions.
Avni Chardonnay 2021
The aroma is complex with layers of mineral,
citrus, white flowers and gunflint. On the
palate the wine is balanced, vibrant and racy
with a long finish. The natural acidity of the
region is rounded by labor-intensive barrel
fermentation and aging. Avni 2021 has
nuances of lemon peel, green apple, fresh
herbs, and a softer edge of pear and vanilla
blossom in the background.
Vineyard Sources
Avni 2021 Chardonnay is sourced from
multiple vineyards in the region, with a
majority of the fruit from shallow volcanic
soils including the Lingua Franca Estate
Vineyards of LSV and Bunker Hill, as well as
from choice volcanic vineyards in the
Chehalem Mountains and Yamhill-Carlton,
with additional fruit from a unique site in the
Van Duzer Corridor in old marine sediments.
Vinification
Whole cluster pressed, settled in tank for 24
hours on average, barrel fermented and then
aged in a combination of 21% new, 600-liter
puncheons, 16% in large wooden cask and
63% old French oak barriques, then left to
age for 11 months sur lie. Fermentation was
spontaneous with wild yeast. Full malolactic
fermentation was completed in each vessel
and then the wines were put back in tank with
their lees for six months prior to bottling.
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