Lingua Franca

The Plow Pinot Noir

US, Oregon

2023

Made in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills AVA, the grapes that make it into Lingua Franca's The Plough Pinot Noir 2023 are meticulously sorted, with 14% of whole cluster fruit used in the cuvée, which spends a year in French oak. The result is a multi-layered wine a lovely balance between its red fruit and floral flavours. Smoked duck is its friend.

The Plow Pinot Noir is drawn from Lingua Franca's most characterful parcels, including massal‑selected Pinot Noir planted on the gravelly, volcanic Gelderman-Jory soils that lend power, complexity and fine structure.

Winemaking remains gentle and traditional, with native‑yeast fermentations and restrained oak allowing vineyard character to shine.

The fruit is hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard, then sorted again on the crush pad.
Whole cluster fruit is 14% of the 2023 cuvée. After wild-yeast primary fermentation and spontaneous malolactic fermentation, the wines aged in 22% new and 78% neutral French oak barriques for 12 months followed by an additional five months in stainless steel tank.

The Plow captures the estate's essence – purity, tension and aromatic clarity – while offering a concentrated and layered profile. It is a polished, expressive wine built for both early enjoyment and long‑term cellaring.

Tasting
NOTES

Elegant and ephemeral, this is a pinot for purists that's bursting with bright, juicy fruit. Delicate and easy to drink, with a subtle use of oak, the perfumed nose is alive with notes of pomegranate, raspberry, wild strawberry and sour cherry, alongside floral aromas of lavender and violets. Silky and savoury with hints of spice from the oak, it's a wine of precision and finesse with a long finish, delicate tannins and velvety mouthfeel.

Food
PAIRINGS

This powerful cabernet would be right at home paired with flame-grilled meats from a South African braai. Caramelised pork belly or lamb empanadas would also work.