Lingua Franca, Estate Chardonnay

Lingua Franca, Estate ChardonnayThe 2021 Chardonnay Estate blossoms nearly smoky, with stone dust and hints of graphite complicating crushed green apples and lime zest. This impresses further with its vividly ripe stone fruits flowing across a silken core, taking on a sensation of liquid rocks as pretty inner florals resonate throughout. It's deceivingly long, seeming to drop off with hints of citrus, followed by a reprise of minerality and lemon oil. It's a gentle giant.

exhibiting an attractive bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit and orange rind framed by overtones of vanillin and creamy oak lactones

The wine opens to a lean consistency and a bright ruby color

Both Nicasia and Angelica are names of vineyards you might see on their labels

A medium-bodied

The toasty quality gains strength with air and carries through an impressively long

the 2015 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental has super intense notes of redcurrants

A darker amber here

The harvest of 2011 did not begin until mid-September

the wood influence is subtle though not imperceptible on the slightly cooler aromas of lavender

This is an elegant and classy if not particularly dense wine

--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective

Once again at least some patience will be necessary as this is presently quite tightly wound