2016 Littorai Chardonnay B.A. Thieriot Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard is brisk, focused and super-expressive, with plenty of the mineral and savory notes that make wines from this site so distinctive. Crushed flowers, apricot, dried pear and lemon confit develop in the glass, but above all else, the Thieriot is a wine of understatement, energy and total class.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
From a terrific site far out on the Sonoma Coast, the 2016 Chardonnay B.A. Thieriot Vineyard offers lots of salinity in its tangerine, citrus, and lemon-like aromas and flavors. With racy acidity, a vibrant, balanced profile, and a great finish, forget bottles for 2-3 years and it’s going to drink nicely for a decade. 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 Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard is gracious and light on its feet. Citrus, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper add to an impression of brightness. Today, the 2016 comes across as ethereal, a bit diffuse and not fully put together. It will be interesting to see if the 2016 becomes a bit more cohesive during its aging.
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.