2021 Bunker Hill Chardonnay

Wonderfully perfumed, the 2021 Chardonnay Bunker Hill opens with a cascade of dusty florals and sweet herbs, as flinty stone contrasts hints of white peach and sage. This is seductively round and textural with depths of sapid ripe stone fruits and liquid rock minerality. A lemony concentration lingers as the 2021 finishes long and lightly structured, leaving a minty freshness that punctuates the experience perfectly. The Bunker Hill is a real charmer.

From tech sheet: ‘ Whole cluster pressed, settled in tank for 24 hours on average, barrel fermented in a combination of 22% new, 600-liter puncheons and 78% old French oak barriques from diverse coopers and left to age for 11 months. Full malolactic fermentation completed in each vessel and then the wines were put back in tank with their lees for five months prior to bottling.’ Graceful aromas. Crunchy green apple and lemon, slight floral undertone. Grippy and focused. It certainly has the structure to evolve but fruit might not hold for a very long time. (FG)

Taking things to the next level, the 2021 Chardonnay Bunker Hill offers heightened precision in its focused and brilliant aromas of flint, lifted citrus of Meyer lemon zest, pristine green apple, and basil. The palate is explosive, with loads of pristine, distilled fruit of bright green apple and lime, but it’s not austere. It has a soft stony, silky texture and a finish that lasts for days, with fantastic density and a note of citrus oil. The pure, transparent nature of this wine is next level. The best Chardonnay I have tasted from Lingua Franca to date, its energy is electric while managing ripe clarity to its fruit. It has a phenolic texture, but there’s nothing coarse about it. Buy this stunning white if you can get it and drink it over the next 10-15 years. This is for lovers of Burgundy.