At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Location
- Sebastopol, California
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
- Vineyard focus
- Vineyard designated wines from California's true north coast
- Range
- Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, including many single vineyard bottlings
The Producer
Ted Lemon received an Enology degree from the Université de Dijon in 1981. He later became the first American hired as winemaker and vineyard manager of Domaine Guy Roulot in Meursault, where he resided until 1984.
Littorai Wines is a small family owned and operated winery producing vineyard designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Its production draws equally from estate and grower vineyards, keeping both owned properties and long term vineyard relationships in the range.
Place
The Lemons identified the coastal hills of Sonoma and Mendocino counties as an underexplored area for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Littorai's wines come from this true north coast of California, with vineyard relationships extending through the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley.
The producer also maintains the Sonoma Coast's longest running contract with Hirsch Vineyards. Its early vineyard designated wines included Charles Heintz Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs from Savoy, Roman, Cerise and Wendling.
Soil And Site
Littorai farms with natural materials and avoids commercial fertilizers, using estate produced compost as its preferred fertilizer. The compost adds organic matter to the soil without introducing commercial fertilizer products.
Eighty five percent of the grape sources are farmed using biodynamic methods, while the remaining fifteen percent use organic materials. The farming approach covers both the estate and grower sources that supply the wines.
Story
In 2000, Heidi and Ted Lemon began to purchase and lease properties in Anderson Valley and on the Sonoma Coast. The properties included B.A. Thieriot Vineyard, The Haven, The Pivot, One Acre and The Return.
The expansion changed the production base from purchased fruit alone to a combination of estate and grower vineyards. Littorai's production is now evenly split between those two sources.
Vineyards And Cellar
Littorai completed construction of the winery at Gold Ridge Estate in 2008. Pinot Noirs receive a cold soak before fermentation, a technique that holds the grapes at low temperature before alcohol forms. Chardonnays are pressed as whole clusters, sending intact bunches to the press.
The wines undergo native yeast fermentation and complete malolactic fermentation when conditions permit. Malolactic fermentation converts sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid. The house rejects cultured yeasts, cultured bacteria, acidification and enzymes.
The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, directly from their original lees. Lees are spent yeast cells, so this process bottles the wine without separating it from that fermentation sediment through fining or filtration.
Wines
Littorai makes about 18 wines annually, including many single vineyard bottlings. The range includes regional Chardonnay and vineyard designated Pinot Noir, with named wines such as Charles Heintz Chardonnay, Savoy, Roman, Cerise, Wendling, Pivot and Hirsch.
The 2022 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a regional white with crisp green apple and stony mineral character. The range then moves into more specific vineyard wines, including the 2022 Pivot Vineyard Pinot Noir, the 2022 Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir and the Anderson Valley Les Larmes Pinot Noir.
In The Glass
The 2022 Pivot Vineyard Pinot Noir was tasted from barrel with sweet raspberry, fresh mint and ripe strawberry, followed by pine sap and saline character. Its palate was notably textured.
The 2022 Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir showed dark earth, pine needles, strawberry, mint, white tea and saline character, finishing with length. The 2022 Charles Heintz Chardonnay combined concentrated lemon fruit with sea spray, lemon verbena, lemon oil and briny freshness.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose the 2021 Les Larmes Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley. It is 100% Pinot Noir, with medium body, integrated medium acidity and mild tannins. Black tea, black raspberry, oak and black cherry carry through to a dry finish.
Anecdote
In 1993, Heidi and Ted Lemon began Littorai with purchased grapes. The first production comprised 150 cases of One Acre Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and 150 cases of Mays Canyon Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. The two wines marked the winery's starting point before estate vineyards and grower properties became an equal part of production.
Final Word
Littorai Wines makes vineyard designated Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from California's true north coast, with native yeast fermentation, unfined and unfiltered bottling, and production evenly divided between estate and grower vineyards.
Sources
1. https://www.littorai.com/about-us 2. https://www.littorai.com/generative-agriculture 3. https://westsonomacoast.com/member/littorai-wines 4. https://www.polanerselections.com/producers/littorai/ 5. https://www.decanter.com/sonoma-coast-2022-vintage-score-table/ 6. https://www.sonomamag.com/littorai-wines-puts-farming-first-in-sebastopol/ 7. https://www.kenswineguide.com/winereview/Littorai-2021-Les-Larmes-Pinot-Noir