2016 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Littorai's 2016 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard is gorgeous, but it also is going to need quite a bit of time to come together, as the tannins are quite piercing at this early stage. Chalk, white pepper, mint, blood orange and red berry fruit give the Hirsch its distinctive aromatic signatures. As promising as the 2016 is, there is not much pleasure to be found today. Readers should plan on being patient.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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From a site located in the northern part of the Sonoma Coast, the sensational 2016 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard sports a medium ruby color as well as classic dried red fruits, forest floor, spice, and subtle marine/seaside notes. It’s medium-bodied, as elegant and classy as they come, and is going to evolve beautifully. This is another estate making a distinctly vibrant, fresh style of wine that’s going to appeal to the Burgundy lovers out there. It’s an incredibly educational tasting going through all these different single vineyards from Ted Lemon and these are interesting, singular wines. As a whole, the 2015s shows slightly more oomph compared to the 2016s, yet both vintages have vibrant acidity and balanced profiles. As expected, quantities are slightly up in 2016.
The 2016 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard exudes a level of aromatic intensity and inner sweetness that immediately differentiates it in this range. Pliant, silky and inviting, with terrific underlying structure, the 2016 is shaping up to be brilliant. This is quite frankly a remarkable showing given that the wine was sulfured just a few days before this tasting. Quite simply, the Hirsch is a wine of total allure. I can't wait to taste it from bottle.
The 2016 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard is fabulous. Elegant and polished with stunning vertical structure, the 2016 shows why this site in Fort Ross-Seaview is so revered. Crushed flowers, mint and chalk weave through a core of nuanced Pinot fruit. The Hirsch is another wine that needed time to fully blossom. Perched at 1,200-1,400 feet in elevation, most of Hirsch sits just above the fog line, which contributes to its unique microclimate. Superb.
About the producer
Littorai stands as one of California’s most quietly influential estates, defined by organic and biodynamic farming, site transparency, and a restrained, Burgundian sensibility.