2023 Lingua Franca, Estate Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, USA

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating and, at times, infuriating wine grape in the world. However, when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape, which grows in small, tight bunches, performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone-based subsoils. It is more susceptible than other varieties to overcropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive, and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Lingua Franca in Oregon is the fruition of Master Sommelier Larry Stone's lifelong ambition. In 2012, Larry acquired a site in the Eola-Amity Hills, partnering with David Honig and Dominique Lafon to craft expressive, nuanced wines. Winemaker Thomas Savre, a protégé of Lafon, brings experience from renowned Burgundian wineries and the Evening Land Vineyards in Seven Springs, Oregon.