Lingua Franca Pinot Noir 'Avni' 2018

Lingua Franca was co-founded by Larry Stone, David Honig, and Dominique Lafon in 2015, inspired by the exceptional vineyard site in the Eola-Amity Hills that Larry bought in 2012. They soon hired Thomas Savre, a brilliant young winemaker with work experience at some of the best domaines in Burgundy and an inquisitive mind. All are committed to farming and winemaking practices that respect the environment, believing that complex and undisturbed ecosystems help to create the most complex and seductive wines.

The 2018 Avni Pinot Noir has beautiful expressions of rose petal, wet stone, black plum, red cherry along with savory elements. It has slightly more structure than the Avni Pinot Noir from earlier vintages but is also layered with seductive fruit and a supple texture. It is vibrant and fresh.

93 Points - Wine Spectator    A lithe wine, with laser focus, offering layers of snappy cherry, river stone and savoury dark spice flavours that build tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2027.

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast    Bursting open with blueberry and blackberry fruit, this well-balanced Avni integrates its savory notes perfectly. It's aromatic and brings a light suggestion of mineral. Barrel aging included 20% new oak, and it responds well to a bit of extra breathing time. *Editors' Choice*

92 Points - Wine & Spirits    Drawn from mostly Eola–Amity Hills vineyards, including Larry Stone’s estate, this is youthful and brisk, with a light red-cherry scent lined by oak. The plum flavors have an earthiness that brings the wine to a darker hue, emphasized by weighty and mineral tannins and a barrel element that will need time to tuck into the wine.