Littorai

The Charles Heintz Vineyard was planted in 1982 and is farmed organically. Just a few miles from the ocean, it sits at an elevation of 250 m on a rolling plateau that is cooled by ocean fogs and breezes but also warmed by air rising from the Santa Rosa Plain. The high elevation protects the vineyard from spring frosts; buds break early, resulting in a longer growing season that encourages ripening without accumulating sugar. Littorai has made wine from the same rows of vines since 1995. About the 2020 vintage, the winery writes, “Lime, lemon, green apple, Anjou pear, hazelnuts, roasted almonds, and a hint of new wood. Beautiful stone fruit lingers on the finish. This is the most forward and giving of the Chardonnays in 2020 and was much appreciated by the team during our pre-bottling tasting. It shares a gentle richness on the mid-palate and driving acidity on the finish.”

The B.A. Thieriot Vineyard is planted on a ridge, 350 m above the town of Occidental, in Sonoma County. The vineyard is protected from strong winds by a ridge to the north and from excessive fog by its elevation. Farming the site with a long-term lease, Littorai uses organic and biodynamic methods and no irrigation. Yields are minuscule – less a three tons per acre  – yet the grapes consistently produce Chardonnay that’s bracing, intense, energetic, and pure. To deal with the extreme conditions of 2020, namely wildfires, the winery employed zealous sorting, low-pressure pressing, and declassifying more wine than usual into the Sonoma Coast blend. In hindsight, the winery might have been too cautious as both the single vineyard and Sonoma Coast chardonnays are exceptional with lovely bouquet and plenty of intensity. The winery’s tasting notes say, “Notes of fennel and fern, wet stones, pastry dough, honeydew melon, Golden Delicious apple. Great acidity in a very dry style with a very long, slightly phenolic finish. There is a savory and salty quality to this wine that is very intriguing. The acidity hits like a bolt of lightning.”

Les Larmes is an Anderson Valley appellation wine made to enjoy on release. The name refers to the tears shed in 2005, when the One Acre Vineyard succumbed to phylloxera, and the vines had to be ripped out. Compared with the Sonoma Coast blend, it has a bit more density, power, and tannin concentration. In 2022, the blend consists of 27% from declassified barrels of Cerise, Savoy, Wendling, Roman and One Acre, and 32% press wine from those same vineyards. 18% is from a separate block at Wendling that is dedicated to the Les Larmes bottling. The final 23% comes from the winery’s Deer Meadows estate vineyard in the hills above Boonville. If the wine seems a bit tight on first opening a bottle, 30 minutes in a decanter should release the red fruit and floral bouquet. The Les Larmes has the backbone and structure to pair with hearty, savory fare and (despite Ted Lemon’s encouragement to drink it young) should evolve and age gracefully over the next few years.

The Sonoma Coast bottling is one of Littorai’s two appellation wines. Ripe, rich, and lively with bright acidity, the 2021 offers an early glimpse of a promising vintage. According to the winery, “36% of the final blend comes from Richardson Ranch in Annapolis on the northern end of the Sonoma Coast, 10% is from Balinard Vineyard in the western hills of Sebastopol. 33% is sourced from press wines of vineyard designate lots: Hirsch, Mays Canyon, The Pivot, The Haven, and Thieriot vineyards.” The Sonoma Coast Pinot spends less time in barrel than the vineyard-designated wines and in a lower percentage of new oak, which makes it more appropriate for early drinking. If you are a fan of Pinot Noir that’s light on its feet, moderate in alcohol, and full of vibrant red fruit flavor, you will love Littorai’s Sonoma Coast. 

The Savoy Vineyard is located just north of Philo, at the western end of Mendocino’s Anderson Valley, where summers are generally cool and foggy. But because the vineyard is on a valley floor, it is protected from winds. The wine is often softer, more delicate and forward than Pinots produced in harsher climates. Clonal diversity in the vineyard is one reason for the wine’s complexity and nuance, but winemaking decisions, such as fermenting with a high proportion of whole clusters, play their part. Antonio Galloni described the 2020 Savoy Pinot Noir as “precise, understated and very pretty. Sweet macerated cherry, dried flowers, mint, sage, and cedar lend notable aromatic brilliance to this mid-weight, nuanced Anderson Valley Pinot.” The winery does note a larger tannic structure than other 2020 wines but also vibrant acidity and bright fruit to make for a seductive wine. Try it with grilled salmon, seared tuna, or chicken, pork, and vegetarian dishes. 

Located in the hills just outside of Sebastopol about 11 km from the coast, the Pivot is Littorai’s own estate vineyard and home to the winery. Five clones of Pinot Noir grow on the property, which is farmed sustainably using biodynamic methods. Planted in 2004, the vineyard is just entering a mature phase and gradually beginning to reveal its true personality. In recent vintages, the Pivot’s wines appear to be about a balance between generosity of fruit and flavor and structured elegance. Conditions in 2019 produced a moderately large crop in Littorai’s vineyards, necessitating some crop thinning; the wines are more floral, perfumed, and delicate than the 2018s. In fact, you might consider opening the 2019 Pivot sooner while cellaring the 2018. According to Ted Lemon, “this wine is all about elegance and finesse. Pomegranate, dried cranberry, red licorice, yellow rose, citrus tones, and graphite. This is a very expressive wine aromatically and the palate follows suit with supple tannins that build slowly on the palate, great fruit intensity, and seductive richness.” 

High up in the mountains above Booneville in the Anderson Valley, The One Acre vineyard provided the fruit for Ted and Heidi Lemon’s very first California Pinot back in 1993. This windy site, which is farmed using organic and biodynamic methods, still produces some of the richest, most seductive and complex wines in the Littorai portfolio. In 2016, they purchased the vineyard (and even expanded its size to 3.5 acres) to ensure access to these fine grapes. According to the winery, the 2020 “is an unusually fresh and vibrant version of One Acre with finely etched notes of red and black fruits, quince, alpine strawberries, red licorice, rose petal, black tea, cinnamon, white pepper, and candlewax. The palate begins with a delightfully supple entry, then very good density and concentration with a lovely cut of acidity which underlines the bright fruit tones. Assertive tannins and a long, pure finish ensure that this wine will show beautifully at a relatively young age.”