Lingua Franca
There is no shortage of excellent vineyard sites in Eola-Amity Hills, and Lingua Franca is located right in the heart of it all. This farm had been on the radar of Oregon growers for 40 years, but it has finally changed hands. Larry Stone, a Master Sommelier, purchased the farm and planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Rather than cultivating the entire property in the same way, he selected rootstocks and grafting scions tailored to the soil of each specific plot.
Dominique Lafon, widely recognized as one of Burgundy's top winemakers, serves as a consultant, while Thomas Savre manages the winery. Farming practices follow low-impact, organic, and biodynamic principles, supplemented by regenerative agriculture techniques.
For a winery in Oregon that only began planting vines in the 2010s, Lingua Franca emerged with an exceptionally clear vision of the kind of winery Stone wanted to create.
The history, how it all started
While operating Evening Land at Eola-Amity Hills, Larry Stone looked across the street at Janzen Farm and determined that its terroir was equivalent to that of Seven Springs and that it had better sunlight conditions. Negotiations began in 2010. The negotiations concluded at 4:00 p.m. on the 31st of December, 2012.
He had to put everything he had into raising the funds. Stone put his wine collection, which he had been building since he was 21 and had set aside for retirement, up for auction, and he also sold the small Napa winery he had started in 1997. His cousins also contributed funds. Partner David Honig, a lawyer from San Francisco, poured his retirement savings into establishing the vineyard.
At the time, Stone was 60 years old. The reason he gave was quite simple. He wanted to demonstrate what Oregon's terroir could achieve when pitted against the world's most well-known wine regions. This name stemmed from his belief that wine serves as a common language, a Lingua Franca connecting people who otherwise have little in common.
Then came 2019 and 2020. Stone was already seeking investors to expand his hospitality business and direct sales when COVID-19 struck, followed by the 2020 wildfires. Lingua Franca decided not to bottle that vintage's wine due to smoke damage and suffered a significant blow from the loss of revenue.
In April 2022, Constellation Brands took its first steps into the Oregon market by acquiring the brand, winery, vineyards, and inventory. Savre and Lafon remained with the company, while Stone stayed on as a brand ambassador and advisor.
The vineyards
Janzen Farm is located in the heart of Eola-Amity Hills and covers an area of approximately 61 hectares, of which about 27 hectares are planted with vineyards. These vineyards face east, and the elevation rises by about 90 meters from the bottom to the top.
Argyle's Lone Star Vineyard, Domaine Serene's Jerusalem Hill, and Evening Land's Seven Springs are all located nearby, and Lingua Franca currently owns two vineyard plots within Willamette Valley.
Planting was not carried out uniformly. For each plot, various rootstocks and grafting scions were combined to suit the soil conditions, and clones suitable for the soil characteristics of each plot were selected. Mimi Casteel, an expert in regenerative viticulture and a friend of Stone's, guided the cultivation process from the very beginning.
The terroir
Three types of soil, Nekia, Gelderman, and Jory, play a role here. The varying soil conditions within a single vineyard are precisely why Lingua Franca did not treat this slope as a single unit but instead diversified the planting mix.
Climate is another key factor. The average seasonal temperatures, long summer hours of sunshine, and annual precipitation in the Willamette Valley region are all similar to those in the Burgundy region, and this is the practical reason why Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown in the Eola-Amity Hills. The east-facing land receives ample morning sunlight while avoiding the hottest afternoon heat.
Two grapes varieties
Lingua Franca maintains a small cultivation area. This vineyard, located in Eola-Amity Hills, is planted with the two grape varieties that were the reason for purchasing the property:
- Pinot Noir
- Chardonnay: The grape variety that first caught Dominique Lafon's attention
The proportion of each variety has not been disclosed, and the planting status is described by clone and rootstock rather than by the area they occupy within the vineyard.
The winemaking: Oregon meets Burgundy
Thomas Savre makes wine at Lingua Franca. He trained under Dominique Lafon, and Lafon serves as a wine consultant.
The winery itself was built specifically for this purpose in the Eola-Amity Hills region and also serves as a hospitality space for visitors. Tasting sessions, offering a choice of two tastings, are held in the tasting room designed by Skylab Architecture and furnished by Andee Hess of Portland's Osmose Design.
Every step leading up to the wine cellar is viewed as an environmental endeavor rather than a purely technical process. At its core are respect for the land, biodiversity within and around the vineyard, and farming practices that take less from nature than they give back.
The wines
Estate Pinot Noir and Estate Chardonnay are produced at the estate vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills.
Above them are wines with names such as Bunker Hill Chardonnay, Sisters Chardonnay, Mimi's Mind Pinot Noir, Tongue 'n Cheek Pinot Noir.
The entire Lingua Franca portfolio is broader and the winery puts together tasting sets to showcase that wide spectrum. However, the winery's fundamental direction remains unchanged. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, produced in a corner of Willamette Valley, are sourced from increasingly specific plots.
