Wine Specs
Vintage
2021
Varietal
Chardonnay
Appellation
Eola-Amity Hills
Alcohol %
13.00
2021 Lingua Franca Sisters Chardonnay
Each year we select the most refined and distinguished barrels of Chardonnay in our cellar for the creation of Sisters. We combine the finest lots from grapes grown in two stony Eola-Amity Hills vineyards situated near Lingua Franca Estate.
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
2021 Sisters possesses a voluptuous range of aromas and flavors that balances citrus, pear and even mango, with floral and flinty sparks of brilliance. It has tension on the palate but a richness of texture as well. The flavors are vibrant and persist in a long mineral finish marked by a savory salinity. This is a monumental tribute to the sisters for whom the cuvée was named.
Vineyard Notes
2021 Sisters comes predominantly (78%) from a source close to our own Lingua Franca Estate that has contributed most frequently to Sisters. It is grown on the shallowest, stony volcanic soils of our region called Witzel and expresses the elevated and complex character of a vineyard whose yields are low. The remaining 22% this year comes from a selection of wines from our own Bunker Hill Estate, from the oldest vines on the site.
Production Notes
All the fruit was hand-picked, vineyard sorted, whole berry pressed, settled for 24 hours in air-tight tanks, and spontaneously fermented by wild yeast in 600-liter puncheons with no acid additions. The wine was aged in the same barrel sur lie for 11 months, then assembled in an airtight stainless-steel tank for 6 months prior to bottling. The amount of lightly toasted new oak puncheons in the élévage was 33%.
Food Pairing Notes
It’s a beautiful wine even on its own. However, to focus on the complexity and elegance of Sisters 2021, it should be best served with poached or sauteed fish dishes, such as poached salmon or halibut with a mild herbed butter or a light Beurre Blanc sauce. In addition, lightly sauteed or poached flounder or turbot in a cream sauce with a generous shaving of white truffle on top, will bring out the complex aromatic nuances of the wine. Its power is such that it would be excellent with Lobster prepared with a rich shellfish or crayfish sauce, or Quenelles de Brochet or Salmon Quenelles (dumplings) with a Nantua or Armoricaine sauce. It has the precision to serve with sashimi and sushi, such as Toro, O-toro, Maguro, Buri, Iwashi, Kanpachi, Aji, Kohada, Amaebi, Mirugai, Hamachi, salmon, scallops, Unagi, Ikura and Uni. Experimentation is welcome!
