2011 Littorai Pinot Noir Roman Vineyard

Littorai's 2011 Pinot Noir Roman Vineyard wafts from the glass with sweet, perfumed dried cherries, subtle earthiness, cinnamon, tobacco, savory herbs and crushed flowers. A feminine, gracious wine, the 2011 literally floats as it shows off its weightless personality. This is a decidedly delicate, mid-weight Pinot with elements of fragility. The slightly dried character of the fruit makes me think the Roman will age at a faster rate than some of ther other 2011s. Proprietor Ted Lemon adds that this fruit was harvested in October, after all the rains.

(13.1% alcohol): Medium red. Highly perfumed, slightly high-toned aromas of raspberry, cherry and forest floor. Densely packed and more muscular than the One Acre, with a distinctly chewy texture and building sweetness. Ultimately denser and sweeter than the One Acre, finishing with subtle minerality, a broad dusting of tannins and very good lift. But this wine will need time to harmonize its almost exotic fruit and serious tannins.

Littorai’s 2011 Pinot Noir Roman Vineyard wafts from the glass with sweet, perfumed dried cherries, subtle earthiness, cinnamon, tobacco, savory herbs and crushed flowers. A feminine, gracious wine, the 2011 literally floats as it shows off its weightless personality. This is a decidedly delicate, mid-weight Pinot with elements of fragility. The slightly dried character of the fruit makes me think the Roman will age at a faster rate than some of their other 2011s. Proprietor Ted Lemon adds that this fruit was harvested in October, after all the rains. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021. There is no doubt in my mind Littorai is one of this country’s crown jewel wineries. Proprietor Ted Lemon has the magic touch with both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Readers will find a large number of fabulous wines in both 2010 and 2011. Simply put, this is a superb set of new and upcoming releases from a California icon. The 2010s are a product of a generally cold year marked by significant disease pressure during the middle of the growing season and two significant heat spikes that followed in late August and September. Ted Lemon told me the Chardonnay was more affected by sunburn than the Pinot and required considerable sorting. The vintage was not without its challenges for the Pinot, however, as the One Acre and Platt were declassified to the Les Larmes and Sonoma Coast bottlings respectively, neither of which I tasted. The harvest was a little late for the Pinot, but very late for the Chardonnay. Littorai’s 2011s are some of the most intriguing wines of that difficult year. The Chardonnays are unique and compelling, largely because the presence of botrytis gives the wines an element of exoticism and texture that is atypical. The Pinots are wonderfully transparent expressions of some of the top sites in the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. Lemon adds that, while he is typically among the first to pick, in 2011 he was among the last, as the fruit took a very long time to ripen under the cool conditions of the year. In 2011, the percentage of whole clusters in the Pinot is lower across the board than in 2010. As always, the Littorai wines are farmed naturally, vinified with natural yeasts, see minimal handling and are generally bottled without fining and filtration. Tel. (707) 823-9586