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When and
How to Consume Littorai Wines
Our clients
often ask for descriptions of our wines. While this can be very subjective,
our lengthy experience with these sites has taught us the following:
Mays Canyon Chardonnay: produces elegant, mineral
and floral chardonnays with great acidity. The wines are finely boned and best
suited to fish and shellfish dishes.
Charles Heintz Chardonnay: Richer and opulent but
with a hidden backbone of acidity. This is chardonnay for foie gras and rich
dishes.
Thieriot Chardonnay: The most exotic of the three.
In some vintages closer to Heintz in style and others, more Mays Canyon in texture.
Aromas of linden and chamomile. The best marriage with asian foods and foods
with exotic spices.
Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir: Pinot noir of masculine
tannins. Aromas of blackberry and herbes de Provence: sage, savory, thyme. This
is wine for game dishes, hearty foods and stormy nights.
Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir: similar to Hirsch in
tannin profile but aromas quite distinct: joyous fruits of raspberry, plums
and morello cherry. The most versatile of our pinots, in lighter vintages suitable
for fish dishes, in denser vintages a wine for game.
One Acre Pinot Noir: The softest, richest of the
pinots. Aromas of lavender, raspberry, blackberry, rose petal and spices. Pinot
noir for fish dishes and lighter meats.
Thieriot Pinot Noir: Asian spices, cumin, orange
peel even mahogany (usually a descriptor reserved for Cabernet Sauvignon based
wines). The pinots of Thieriot Vineyard have both richness and tannic structure.
Like Savoy Vineyard, the Thieriot wines can pair well with both fish and game.
A Look at
the Vintages
In accordance with our belief in minimal manipulation of
our wines, almost all these wines are bottled both unfined and unfiltered, with
little human intervention. We strongly recommend that you stand the bottle upright
24 hours before opening. If it is a young wine, we suggest decanting off of
any sediment.
The chardonnays are best consumed from one to five years
after release. The pinot noirs are best consumed from one to ten years after
release. Since storage conditions vary and have an enormous impact on the aging
of all wines, we encourage you to be your own judge of when the wines reach
optimal drinking. As a guideline, here is our evaluation of past vintages. This
assumes excellent storage conditions:
Vintage 1993: A warm late season, better for Pinot
than expected at the time of release. One Acre is at its peak now, but will
hold. Mays Canyon should be consumed.
Vintage 1994: A high acid chardonnay vintage with
wonderful earthy bouquet. Firmly tannic, good pinot. Both are fully mature now.
Vintage 1995: A classically proportioned vintage
with fruit intensity and balanced tannins. Both chardonnay and pinot are delightful
wines. One Acre and Mays Canyon are ready to consume. Hirsch, Savoy and Occidental
show greater life expectancy but are also lovely now.
4/11/03--
Occidental: If you still have bottles of this in the cellar, you are in for a real treat. The wine seems to be coming out of an adolescent phase and is glorious now.
The first aromas are of earth and truffles. With air the wine becomes brighter with notes of lemon peel, mint and just a hint of creme brulee. The palate is fresh, vibrant and
wonderfully balanced. Two days later the partial bottle was just as good if not better... Years of life ahead?
Vintage 1996: The surprise of the 1990s. Far better
and more age worthy than either winemakers or the media expected. All the wines
are full, rich and vibrant. A delight. Drink.
Vintage 1997: The largest scaled wines of the 1990s.
Full, firm and masculine in style upon release, the tannins have now softened
nicely. The chardonnays should be consumed now. One Acre is fully mature, Hirsch
and Savoy may hold for many years. A pinot vintage for game dishes.
Vintage 1998: The opposite of 1997, a cool wet,
late vintage. The pinots are exceptional, with wonderful cool vintage characteristics:
balance and elegance. The chardonnays are fine, mineral and tight. They should
age gracefully but are a delight now.
Vintatge 1999: The pinots are close in style to
1998, but slightly bolder and more forward. They should be consumed fairly soon.
The chardonnays are magnificent: very concentrated with excellent acidity and
weight and stand up well to rich dishes. The aromas are exotic. Drink or hold.
Vintage 2000: A well-balanced Pinot vintage, not as massive or
tannic as 1997 or 1995 but lovely proportions with good acidity. They drink exceptionally well today
and can go with both fish and game dishes. The chardonnays have great intensity and structure but may
not age as long as the pinots. Drink or hold.
Vintage 2001: Pinots of balance, elegance and finesse.
Somewhere between 1998 and 1995 in style. Will provide lovely mid term drinking.
The chardonnays are quite similar in style to the 2000s, but again may be best
for consumption earlier.
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