2012 Littorai Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard

Intensely saline and energetic, the 2012 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard comes across as quite tannic and closed in on itself. Even with all of its structure, the Hirsch boasts translucent beauty in its aromatics and fruit, with hints of inner sweetness that emerge on the finish. This is a distinctly Nebbiolo-like Pinot that requires - no, demands - at least a few years in bottle. It will be interesting to see what time brings.

(13.0% alcohol): Full, bright red. Huckleberry, spicy oak and a hint of white pepper on the nose, with intriguing soil tones and a sexy floral topnote; showed a wilder herbal component with air. Large-scaled and broad, but with no undue impression of weight to the classically dry flavors of berries, spices and flowers. Finishes with big, dusty, building tannins that should bite into fatty meats. Or, better yet, cellar this for a few years. Some of the low-alcohol boys of Sonoma and Anderson Valley should try to figure out how Ted Lemon is able achieve so much breadth, texture and depth of flavor at 13% alcohol.

Littorai's 2012 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard is utterly magnificent. Violets, new leather, licorice, mint and blueberries all jump from the glass in a vibrant, absolutely impeccable Pinot from one of the very finest sites in California. The 2012 is deep, rich and resonant, but also fabulous in its overall balance and sense of proportion. Readers who can find the 2012 Hirsch should not hesitate. It is hauntingly beautiful and well worth the effort to source.