Lingua Franca is a personal statement for Larry Stone. Stone is one of the best-known sommeliers in the country, but he shifted to managing wineries in 2006, most notably Rubicon in Napa Valley and Evening Land in Oregon. Stone was negotiating for Evening Land to buy an adjacent farm when he left the winery. After that deal fell through, Stone gathered investors and bought the property himself. It's in an impressive wine neighborhood. Besides Evening Land and its Seven Springs Vineyard, nearby are Domaine Serene's Jerusalem Hill and Argyle's Lone Star vineyards.
In 2013, Stone planted the 66-acre LS Vineyard on the hillside above the newly finished winery. I recently took a walk through the vineyard. It started to rain, but Stone hardly noticed, so strong was his enthusiasm and attention to the details of the vines. With us was winemaker Thomas Savre, who is ably backed by French consultant Dominique Lafon.
Lingua Franca's first few releases were made with purchased fruit, and earned outstanding scores (90 points or more on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale). Keep an eye on Lingua Franca as the estate vines come into production.
Lingua Franca
In 2013, Stone planted the 66-acre LS Vineyard on the hillside above the newly finished winery. I recently took a walk through the vineyard. It started to rain, but Stone hardly noticed, so strong was his enthusiasm and attention to the details of the vines. With us was winemaker Thomas Savre, who is ably backed by French consultant Dominique Lafon.
Lingua Franca's first few releases were made with purchased fruit, and earned outstanding scores (90 points or more on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale). Keep an eye on Lingua Franca as the estate vines come into production.
Lingua Franca
