Lingua Franca LLC

2019 Bunker Hill Chardonnay

2019 Bunker Hill Chardonnay
Date Picked: September 24, 2019
Finished Wine: Alcohol: 13%, pH: 3.1
Suggested Retail: $60 • 520 cases produced

Bunker Hill is back with the 2019 vintage. The wine is selected from the old vine material in the Salem Hills at an elevation of 650-700ft above sea level, overlooking the Willamette River from the east side. The volcanic soils here are particularly shallow and rocky, making for a sleek wine of mineral brilliance that will evolve for many years.

Bunker Hill was planted in 1995 with the same material that was used to replant Seven Springs Vineyard. It is all CH76, with a brilliant, citrus, flinty nose, tension, and precision from the combination of clone, vine age and terroir. In the coming years, there should be more wine coming from this site, as we are now working on expanding the vineyard.

Vinification

The Bunker Hill Chardonnay 2019 is field sorted, handpicked, whole cluster pressed, settled in tank for around 24 hours and then barrel fermented with wild yeast and natural acidity. It undergoes a natural malolactic and ages sur lie in 24% new French oak 600-liter puncheons and 76% older 500- and 600-liter puncheons for 10 months. Very little is aged in older barriques as the cellar atures. Then it is racked into closed stainless-steel tanks for 6 months with lees, prior to bottling.

2019 Vintage

Winter was again a little dry. Spring rain accumulation helped avoid another drought year providing the vines with water to sustain growth and return to health after the severe drought of 2018. Harvest proceeded with fruit in excellent condition, though there were some rain events that had to be watched.