Wine Advisor
Lingua Franca, Bunker Hill Chardonnay 2019
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Erin Brooks
The 2019 Chardonnay Bunker Hill comes from vines planted in 1995 by Joel Myer, who replanted the Seven Springs vineyard that same year. Vines are planted at 600 feet in elevation on a windy, western-facing slope and were in need of rehabbing. A 30-year lease allows Lingua Franca to control all the farming, and with the help of Mimi Casteel, they developed an additional 15 acres around the original vines. "Some people would say rip it out and replant it," winemaker Thomas Savre explains. "My team and I wanted to curate it, bring it back to life. So we said let's do selection massale and replant all the components. We extended the original vineyard with 13 clones of Chardonnay, just randomly planted." The Bunker Hill has a layered perfume with scents of white peach, quince, jasmine, beeswax and mushroom. The medium-bodied palate is particularly expressive, with fantastic depth of flavor and expansive savory layers. It has racy, energetic acidity and a touch of texture that extends the finish.
About the Producer
From the beginning, Lingua Franca Estate has been farmed on low-impact, Organic and Biodynamic principles, practices that were later improved with the advice and guidance of Mimi Casteel. Today, Lingua Franca is training its own dedicated vineyard team in specialized farming and pruning methods led by Vineyard Manager Brandon Hasart. The first harvest began very early, in late August 2015. We made our wine at a custom crush facility, as we had no winery yet. Though the summer was hot, it cooled in time for harvest , and picking went very easily. The team was small and dedicated, composed of Thomas Savre, Junichi Fujita, Josh Wludyka, Siri Stone, David Honig, Nancy Stone-Nilsen and Larry. The wines were outstanding, but we realized that as we grew our own fruit, we would need a facility capable of handling the grapes with more precision. There was no option but to build a facility from the ground up.
