2010 Littorai Pinot Noir The Pivot Vineyard

The 2010 Pinot Noir The Pivot Estate Vineyard is one of the most beautiful wines in this range of 2010s. Dark red cherries, bramble, tar, licorice, earthiness and incense all waft from the glass. The partial use of whole clusters (15%) is very nicely balanced in this vintage. Firm tannins support the big, structured finish. I imagine the Pivot will take some time to come around, but it is beautiful. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. 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

(2008 was the first vintage for this wine, from vines planted in Goldridge loam in the Sebastopol hills in 2008; this and the Hirsch were vinified with 15% whole clusters): Good bright red. Wild, lively aromas of crushed red and dark berries, blood orange and meat. Silky on entry, then plump in the middle, showing a rather suave texture and complex meat and spice notes. Turns a tad narrower toward the back but finishes subtle, long and pure, with a light dusting of tannins. A vineyard to watch.