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 non-irrigated 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 Pinot Noir 2021
The 2021 Avni Pinot Noir is subtle and mouth filling, immediately pleasing and rich. The large proportion of complexly flavored fruit from shallow Gelderman soils combines
seamlessly with the richer fruit flavors of Pommard and 115 clone Pinot Noir on Jory
and Nekia soils. The wine has many layers that unfold with both red and black cherry fruit, tea, rose petal, savory and mineral nuances, finishing with a round, plummy
texture. 2021 Avni will count among the best we have ever made.
Vineyard Sources
Over 70% of the fruit this vintage comes from the Lingua Franca Estate (30% upper blocks, 40% lower). The remaining 30% is sourced from our best neighboring vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills, including Hope Well, elevating the complexity while retaining the round, savory character of this cuvée.
Vinification
Hand-harvested, the grapes were fed by bin into medium sized stainless steel and cement tanks and fermented spontaneously with 18%
