updated 5/25/11

Descriptions of the Littorai Vineyard Designated 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: aromas of pear blossom, honeysuckle and jasmine. Good mid palate richness associated with significant acidity. This wine pairs well with rich dishes.

Thieriot Chardonnay: The most exotic of the three. Acacia blossom, linden, chamomile aromas. In some vintages closer to Heintz in style and others, more Mays Canyon in texture. The best marriage with asian foods and foods with exotic spices. Estate bottled.

The Tributary Chardonnay: stone fruits and lime in the bouquet. This wine usually has the highest acidity of all our bottlings and is the most Chablis like. Wonderful with shellfish and sushi. Estate bottled.

Lemon's Folly Sonoma Coast White Wine: is a field blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurtztraminer, dominated by the latter. Bottled exceptionally early with no oak contact, the wine displays stunningly fresh aromas of ginger, grapefruit, lemon verbena, rose petal, spearmint and green olive. It is usually bottled at about 13% alcohol with 25 grams of residual sugar. Estate bottled.

How do Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs compare to the Sonoma Coast?

There is no easy response to this question since our wines are really driven by the personality of the site rather than regional characteristics. However, one can make a human analogy as follows. The region is like the skeleton upon which the wine is constructed. Without the skeleton, there is no person. Yet the skeleton tells us nothing about the personality of the individual. In very broad, grossly over simplified terms, here is how we would compare the (true) Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley and the Russian River (thrown in for comparison's sake). Pinot Noirs from the Sonoma Coast associate aromatics driven by spice tones (peppers, savory, sage, marjoram, Christmas cake (pain d'epices,) with significant tannic structure. These are wines of backbone. The wines of the Russian River possess lush fruit tones of blackberry, raspberry and plums associated with rich, soft and lush mid palates. Anderson Valley combines the muscular tannins of the Sonoma Coast with the darker fruit tones of the Russian River. However, even within the Littorai family, there are exceptions to this rule as you will see below.

Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

Cerise Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir: the aromas of this vineyard are the most Sonoma Coast like of all the Anderson Valley wines. Spices dominate: cumin, cardamom, spice cake and red licorice. The tannins are full and the wines possess plenty of stuffing for aging. Yields are painfully low on this steep, rocky site and the intensity of the wine reflects this. A wine for game.

Savoy Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir: similar to Hirsch in tannin profile but aromas quite distinct: joyous fruits of raspberry, plums and morello cherry. Associated with what we refer to as "stream bank" aromas: fern, wet moss and mineral notes. A wine for game.

One Acre Anderson Valley Pinot Noir: The softest, richest of the pinots. Aromas of lavender, raspberry, blackberry, rose petal and spices. This vineyard was replanted in 2005 and will be returning to production soon. Pinot noir for fish dishes and fowl dishes.

Roman Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir: Like the Hatfields and the McCoys, Roman sits at one end of Anderson Valley (Navarro) and One Acre at the other (Boonville) both high on hilltops. They are a fascinating comparison. The aromas of Roman show a wonderful tension between ripe and less ripe fruits: plum and rhubarb, blackberry and wintergreen. It shares a rich mid palate with One Acre but has more significant tannins. Estate production.

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Hirsch Vineyard Sonoma Coast 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.

Thieriot Vineyard Sonoma Coast 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. Estate bottled.

The Haven Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: blackberry, blueberry, huckleberry, violets, slightly confectionary, black and red licorice. This is a very intense and concentrated wine without being heavy. It possesses significant tannins which integrate seamlessly into the wine and a very long finish. Our first estate vineyard.

Summa Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: Orange peel, ruby grapefruit, pepper and oriental spices. This is the softest of the Sonoma Coast bottlings with gentle tannins and a round mouth feel.

Russian River Pinot Noir

Mays Canyon Russian River Pinot Noir: In its youth this wine tends toward a bouquet of blueberries and huckleberries. With age more spice tones appear. Like the Haven it is often quite closed when very young and blossoms after a year or two of bottle age. The wine has both good acidity and significant tannins, placing it in the camp of pinot for meat and game.

 

A Look at the Vintages...drink or hold?

In accordance with our belief in minimal manipulation of our wines, almost all of our wines are bottled both unfined and unfiltered. We strongly recommend that you stand the bottle upright 24 hours before opening. We suggest decanting off of any sediment for both the reds and the whites.

We believe that the world’s greatest wines not only survive for many years, but should improve during the course of aging. Our goal is to produce wines that live full and complete lives, whatever their life curve may be. In other words, we like to see them blossom, become complex and then slowly decline into senility. All of the Littorai bottlings improve for a minimum of three to five years after vintage. The only exceptions to this are the "Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir" and "Les Larmes Anderson Valley Pinot Noir" bottlings which are made to be consumed within one or two years after release. In many vintages both the chardonnays and pinot noirs will improve for up to 10 years or more. 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. The following assumes excellent storage conditions:

These notes were revised in May 2011

Vintage 1993: A warm late season, better for Pinot than expected at the time of release. Mays Canyon is still a lovely bottle. Drink.

Vintage 1994A high acid chardonnay vintage with wonderful earthy bouquet. Both Mays Canyon and the Occidental 2004 chardonnays are still wonderful. The edge goes to Occidental which is more youthful than Mays Canyon. Firmly tannic, good pinot. The Hirsch bottling is past its prime. Drink.

Vintage 1995: A classically proportioned vintage with fruit intensity and balanced tannins. Both chardonnay and pinot have provided years of pleasure. Bottle variation is significant now in the Pinot Noirs. The chardonnays are more consistent and show amazing freshness for their age. Drink.

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 and rich but they are losing their freshness. Drink.

  • Hirsch 1996:
    • (5/25/11) Color surprisingly youthful. Aromas of ripe blackberries, savory, sage, cardamom, horehound and black licorice. On the palate the wine shows lovely balance between moderate tannins and good acidity. It remains vibrant and very much alive. A hint of bitterness shows on the finish. Best with fatty meats or game such as venison. In 1996 when we made this wine, I would never have guessed that it would be vibrantly alive and so rewarding at fourteen years of age...Drink now.

    Vintage 1997: This is a high acid vintage for chardonnay. For years the Charles Heintz was a rather unyielding, tight wine. We held on to it wondering if it would ever blossom but had our doubts. Bottles and magnums opened in the last year have been magnificent. The acidity gives the wine freshness and the aromas have opened wonderfully. Great proof that the rating systems for young wines are a joke. Consume the chardonnays now. The pinots are the largest scaled wines of the 1990s. Full, firm and masculine in style upon release, the tannins have now softened nicely. The pinots fully mature. A pinot vintage for game dishes on a dark and wintry night.

    Vintage 1998: The opposite of 1997, a cool wet, late vintage. The pinots are exceptional. They have reached their peak and should be consumed. The chardonnays did not fare as well and should have been consumed.

    Vintatge 1999: The pinots are close in style to 1998, but slightly bolder and more forward. Bottle variation has begun to appear. Drink. The chardonnays are magnificent; very concentrated with excellent acidity and weight and stand up well to rich dishes. They, too, appear to have peaked. Drink.

  • Charles Heintz Vineyard 1999:
    • (5/25/11) Moderately deep gold color. Aromas of quince and pastry crust, creme caramel, creme brulee and beautifully fresh vanilla bean. Behind these lurk more earthy tones of truffles and hay. The wine is quite driven by lactic tones. On the palate it is very rich and full yet as you hold it in the mouth it yields to surprisingly fresh acidity which gives it length and a much more delicate final impression than is first expected. This is an exotic, decadent and mouthfilling wine which requires substantial dishes to match its richness: Duck pates, foie gras, cream based soups, pasta with truffles, game...drink now.

    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 this is one of our favorite vintages in the cellar. They go well with both fish and game dishes for they possess balance,finesse and structure. Drink. The chardonnays have great intensity and structure but should be consumed now.

    Vintage 2001: These are full bodied pinots with surprisingly youthful aromatics still. They are richer and more hedonistic thank the 2000s and will appeal to more "California" palates. But this is not a criticism. Drink but keep a couple in the cellar for a few more years just to see what happens. The chardonnays are full and weighty with more mid palate fat and less acidity than the 2000s. Again hedonistic, but with hedonism like this, who needs ballerinas? Drink.

    Vintage 2002: The chardonnays are showing exceptionally well right now and have magical balance between youth and maturity. The acidities are great. Drink. The pinots are in full form and have both youthful fruits still while the secondary aromas are really showing Drink or hold. A great vintage.

    Vintage 2003: Chardonnays have great acidity and are mature. Drink. Like their warm vintage breathren, 2001, this vintage is much more youthful still than we would ever have imagined. The Tributary is ready to drink now and should be consumed. It was the first vintage off of young vines. The others seem like they are aging very slowly. Very difficult to judge where they are headed. Drink or hold.

    Vintage 2004: Chardonnays are rich and exotic. The 2003s clearly have the edge in terms of being more ageworthy. The 2004s are on a much faster aging track and now is a great time to drink them. They are rich and exotic. The pinots have great acidity and concentration and are a pleasure now but will continue to improve for years. This is one of our favorite pinot vintages. A real treat. Drink or hold.

    Vintage 2005: Potentially great chardonnays are in their adolescent phase now. Drink or Hold. The 2005 pinot noirs are fun to open side by side with the 2004s to compare the vintages. The 2005s are very concentrated. Our guess is that the 2004s have the edge in term of longevity. Having said that, we recently opened bottles of Thieriot, Roman, Savoy and The Haven 2005 and they are marvelously complex. The Roman seems on the fastest aging curve. The Thieriot, Savoy and Haven are great now but should have some years of life ahead. The Haven will clearly benefit from more cellaring. Alas, we almost never get to taste the 2005s in general as production was pitifully low. Drink or hold.

    Vintage 2006: Chardonnays have great aromatic complexity and should be consumed in the next 3 years. Drink. The pinot noir also have great aromatic complexity now and will age well for the medium term. Should be great drinking while waiting for the 2007s, 2005s and 2004s. Drink or hold.

  • Mays Canyon Chardonnay 2006:
    • (Notes as of December 2010) This wine was astonishingly youthful when tasted during the holidays of 2010. It has always been dominated by sweet, confectionary and lactic tones, but with age, they have taken on a lovely delicacy. Grilled almonds show with air. Unlike some vintages there are absolutely no earthy or truffle-like components, perhaps due to the fact that this was an exceptionally early and warm year. The palate is rich, but in no way fat or blousy with lovely acidity which adds length and balance to the finish. The wine has barely aged in the last several years and tastes younger today than many four year old chardonnays.

    Vintage 2007: (click on the link for detailed tasting notes.) Chardonnays are lovely now but have a great future ahead. They should compete with the 2005 as the best chardonnay vintage of the decade (so far...). Drink or hold. The pinots have great fruit intensity and significant tannins and will provide years of pleasure.

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