Professional Reviews
Antonio Galloni
Robert Parker
Details
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Grape Variety
-
Vintage
2014
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Size
750ml
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Farming Practice
Sustainable
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Style
Aromatic , Elegant
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Body
Medium Bodied
Flatiron Wines & Spirits NY
Littorai is the California Pinot Noir for Burgundy lovers. Ted Lemon was the first American in charge of a Burgundy estate at Guy Rulot after the sudden passing of Guy. He went on to work with Bruno Clair, Dujac and Roumier. Lucky for us, those experiences did not go to waste. Ted started Littorai in 1993 with his wife Heidi and is now, arguably, California's best winemaker.
Ted and Heidi now produce a series of single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnays (plus one regional blend of each grape) in miniscule amounts. All of the grapes are farmed to Ted's specifications, attempting to mirrior his biodynamic home vineyard, Pivot.
The wines are about as low intervention as you can get. After thorough sorting, bunches and destemmed berries are pressed, with the ratio depending on what the vintage dictates, into large neutral tanks for a long, slow fermentation with wild yeasts. The juice is racked into barrels where it sits, nearly undisturbed with an occasional top up if required for up to two years. Wines are carefully racked of their lees and touch of sulphur is added before bottling. That's it.
The resulting wines are nothing less than profound. Year in and year out these are my favorite Pinot Noir's outside of Burgundy and in some vintages maybe better. Each wine clearly expreses the nuance and harmnony of the terroir, with a character that can only be described as "precisely alive".
AG
95
"Despite its mid-weight feel, the 2014 Pinot Noir Roman Vineyard is quite powerful. There is wonderful creaminess and intensity to the mid-palate that is just starting to emerge from beneath a wall of tannin. The flavors are dark, bold and intense, but in the classic Littorai medium-bodied style. The struggle of the drought is felt, but it also adds to the wine's intrigue and overall complexity. Readers will have to be patient with the Roman." -Vinous
RP
93
"Medium to deep ruby-purple, the 2014 Pinot Noir Roman Vineyard has a nose of underbrush, roses and raspberry leaves over notes of mulberries and pomegranate, plus a suggestion of potpourri. The light to medium-bodied palate is invigorating in its intensity, framed by chewy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and earthy."
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