Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is right at the top of the hill (900-ft elevation) and has a fresh, red-cherry and red-berry nose with freshly cut herbs, as well as complex, earthy and savory notes. Blood oranges and pink grapefruit, too. Very distinctive. The palate has a very plush and enveloping feel with such long, supple tannins that really fill out the finish. This has volume and chasmic length. One of the highlights of the vintage at Littorai. Drink or hold.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.