Lingua Franca Estate Chardonnay 2022

Floral notes leap out of the glass of the 100% Estate-grown Chardonnay 2022, with notes of jasmine, gardenia and lemon blossom. The contribution of low-yielding CH548 blocks seem to impress their character on the late vintage. The palate is round and fresh, entering with green apple and creamy lemon, which develop into chamomile and sea salt, with a round-textured, long finish of floral and saline notes.

Tasting Notes
Lingua Franca Estate Chardonnay is a permanent addition to our wine portfolio. Its aroma is a combination of creamy lemon custard, grapefruit zest, jasmine and vanilla. While it has the richest aroma and texture of all our Chardonnays, it is still lively and bright, lifted by its underlying energy; an excellent expression of our vineyard.

Vineyard Notes
Lingua Franca Estate Chardonnay are sourced 80% from the original blocks planted by Larry Stone in 2012 and now augmented by two additional blocks grafted over to Chardonnay from Pinot Noir in 2018 and 2019. The newer blocks will have more of an influence in coming years as they mature.

Production Notes
The fruit field sorted, hand-picked, then 80% whole cluster pressed, 20% crushed and pressed, then settled in tank for 24 hours on average, barrel fermented with wild yeast in a combination of 27% new, lightly toasted 500- liter puncheons, and 73% old French oak puncheons and barriques from diverse coopers. Full malolactic fermentation completed spontaneously in each barrel. After 11 months aging on lees, the wines were combined in tank with their lees for five months prior to bottling.