Country
United States
Region
California
Vintage
2020
Score
92
A little lean with sliced strawberries, lime and ash character. Medium body. Firm tannins and finish. Drink or hold.
2020 Littorai Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E
| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Region | |
| Appellation | Sonoma County |
| Winery | |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Grape | |
| Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (13.5%) |
| Drink window | 2023 - 2032 |
109.00
Excl. Tax:
90.08
Excl. Tax:
Excl. Tax:
Low Stock
Only 2 left
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Orders placed before 15:00 ship Monday
Description
The pinot noir grapes for the Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes Anderson Valley are picked by hand at night with a very strict selection. In the vinification cellar they are destemmed and crushed, leaving a small part of the bunches intact. This whole of grapes and bunches is subjected to a temperature controlled (28°C) alcoholic fermentation with wild (grape's own) yeasts in stainless steel tanks for more than two weeks. This is followed by pressing and the young wine is transferred to French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and maturation. After about 14 months, the wine is assembled and bottled without fining or filtering. This entire process follows organic rules and regulations, but is not certified. Anderson Valley in Mendocino County is only fifteen miles long, but allow yourself plenty of time to explore this incredibly complex and geologically diverse region. It's worth the trip for the valley's scenic beauty and quaint towns, Boonville and Philo, but there are also about 20 local wineries to visit. As a wine destination, the Anderson Valley is relatively young. The climate has long been considered too cool for vitis vinifera. Read more under the link: Appellation
The Littorai Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E is a beautiful and complex wine from California, produced by the Littorai family. The wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes that come from the Wendling Vineyard, one of the most exclusive vineyards in the state. The grapes for this wine are harvested manually and carefully selected to obtain only the best quality. The wine then matures for a period of 12 to 18 months in French oak barrels. The Littorai Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E has a beautiful, deep red color and a complex aroma of ripe red fruits, such as cherries and berries, along with notes of herbs, spices and a hint of vanilla. The taste is full, rich and elegant, with a pleasant acidity and a fine tannin structure. The finish is long and intense. The Littorai Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E is a highly regarded wine among wine connoisseurs and has often been awarded high scores and awards. It is a perfect wine to serve with dishes such as grilled or stewed meat dishes, game and older cheeses.
FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking space. Click here for address
Specifications
| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Region | Californie |
| Appellation | Sonoma County |
| Winery | Littorai |
| Grape | Pinot Noir |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Drinking as of | 2023 |
| Drinking till | 2032 |
| Alcohol % | 13.5 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| James Suckling rating | 92 |
| Vinous rating | 93 |
| Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Fruitig, Houtgerijpt, Mineraal, Rood fruit, Soepel, Tannines, Vol |
| Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
Professional Reviews
James Suckling
92
LITTORAI PINOT NOIR MENDOCINO ANDERSON VALLEY WENDLING VINEYARD BLOCK E 2020
Monday, November 7, 2022
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Wine Spectator
100
No written review available.
Vinous
93
From: 2021 Sonoma Preview (Jan 2023)
The 2020 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E is a quiet wine in 2020, but that is the vintage. The unique fruit and flavor profile of this site is present, but in a decidedly attenuated style. Red berry fruit, blood orange, rose petal, mint and sweet spice build into the soft, caressing finish.
- By Antonio Galloni on January 2023
"You will rarely hear me say this, but in 2021 we felt the fruit needed more time on the vine for the tannins to be fully ripe, so we picked at higher sugars than normal," Ted Lemon explained during a comprehensive tasting of the 2021s and 2020s. "We expected lower yields considering we were in the third year of a drought cycle, but yields turned out to be pretty typical." Harvest started in Anderson Valley, then continued on the Sonoma Coast a week later. In the cellar, Lemon gave the 2021s a bit more time in tank than in most years. As always, most Pinots have some whole cluster influence, but stem inclusion is a consideration made for each wine individually rather than a top-down philosophical choice.
The 2021 Pinots are gorgeous wines, some of the best I have tasted here. There is a purity to the wines that is notable. The 2021s are sometimes a bit richer texturally than the norm here, but it is a style that works so well. In 2020, on the other hand, the wines are a bit lighter. Readers should note Littorai did not bottle any single-vineyard Sonoma Pinots in 2020. For the Chardonnays, 2021 is shaping up to be a brilliant vintage. The young 2021s show tremendous promise. Readers will find a richer, more giving style in the 2020 Chardonnays, which are quite appealing. I tasted all of the wines in this report on a visit in January 2023. At the time, the 2021s were all in tank, some having been racked only recently, as described in the notes, while the 2020s were in bottle. In these two very different years, Ted Lemon and Littorai again show they are at the top of their game.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
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Wijnhuis
After his adventures in Burgundy, owner Ted Lemon decided to go back to the United States and, in his own words, "wander around" looking for a suitable location for chardonnay and pinot noir. In 1993 he decided to go for it. Without the resources to immediately purchase a vineyard, this 'American dream' took a different turn. Not vineyards, but grapes - he bought them from several wineries in Anderson Valley and Sonoma Coast and made the wines at Robert Pecota in Calistoga in the north Napa Valley. Now, more than twenty years later, Ted and Heidi own about 7 hectares of vineyards and have long-term contracts with farmers for an additional 11 hectares of vines. Ted has been working on biodynamics since the early 2000s. The Littorai vineyards are not certified, but they work according to this philosophy. Littorai's wines are among the best in California. Ted Lemon makes pinot noir and chardonnay from single vineyards. Elegance, juiciness and concentration are key words in his cuvées. Wines with exceptional aging potential.
The pinot noir grapes for the Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes Anderson Valley are picked by hand at night with a very strict selection. In the vinification cellar they are destemmed and crushed, leaving a small part of the bunches intact. This whole of grapes and bunches is subjected to a temperature controlled (28°C) alcoholic fermentation with wild (grape's own) yeasts in stainless steel tanks for more than two weeks. This is followed by pressing and the young wine is transferred to French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and maturation. After about 14 months, the wine is assembled and bottled without fining or filtering. This entire process follows organic rules and regulations, but is not certified. Anderson Valley in Mendocino County is only fifteen miles long, but allow yourself plenty of time to explore this incredibly complex and geologically diverse region. It's worth the trip for the valley's scenic beauty and quaint towns, Boonville and Philo, but there are also about 20 local wineries to visit. As a wine destination, the Anderson Valley is relatively young. The climate has long been considered too cool for vitis vinifera. Read more under the link: Appellation
The Littorai Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E is a beautiful and complex wine from California, produced by the Littorai family. The wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes that come from the Wendling Vineyard, one of the most exclusive vineyards in the state. The grapes for this wine are harvested manually and carefully selected to obtain only the best quality. The wine then matures for a period of 12 to 18 months in French oak barrels. The Littorai Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E has a beautiful, deep red color and a complex aroma of ripe red fruits, such as cherries and berries, along with notes of herbs, spices and a hint of vanilla. The taste is full, rich and elegant, with a pleasant acidity and a fine tannin structure. The finish is long and intense. The Littorai Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E is a highly regarded wine among wine connoisseurs and has often been awarded high scores and awards. It is a perfect wine to serve with dishes such as grilled or stewed meat dishes, game and older cheeses.
FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking space. Click here for address
| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Region | Californie |
| Appellation | Sonoma County |
| Winery | Littorai |
| Grape | Pinot Noir |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Drinking as of | 2023 |
| Drinking till | 2032 |
| Alcohol % | 13.5 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| James Suckling rating | 92 |
| Vinous rating | 93 |
| Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Fruitig, Houtgerijpt, Mineraal, Rood fruit, Soepel, Tannines, Vol |
| Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
James Suckling
92
LITTORAI PINOT NOIR MENDOCINO ANDERSON VALLEY WENDLING VINEYARD BLOCK E 2020
Monday, November 7, 2022
Country
United States
Region
California
Vintage
2020
Score
92
A little lean with sliced strawberries, lime and ash character. Medium body. Firm tannins and finish. Drink or hold.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Wine Spectator
100
No written review available.
Vinous
93
From: 2021 Sonoma Preview (Jan 2023)
The 2020 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E is a quiet wine in 2020, but that is the vintage. The unique fruit and flavor profile of this site is present, but in a decidedly attenuated style. Red berry fruit, blood orange, rose petal, mint and sweet spice build into the soft, caressing finish.
- By Antonio Galloni on January 2023
"You will rarely hear me say this, but in 2021 we felt the fruit needed more time on the vine for the tannins to be fully ripe, so we picked at higher sugars than normal," Ted Lemon explained during a comprehensive tasting of the 2021s and 2020s. "We expected lower yields considering we were in the third year of a drought cycle, but yields turned out to be pretty typical." Harvest started in Anderson Valley, then continued on the Sonoma Coast a week later. In the cellar, Lemon gave the 2021s a bit more time in tank than in most years. As always, most Pinots have some whole cluster influence, but stem inclusion is a consideration made for each wine individually rather than a top-down philosophical choice.
The 2021 Pinots are gorgeous wines, some of the best I have tasted here. There is a purity to the wines that is notable. The 2021s are sometimes a bit richer texturally than the norm here, but it is a style that works so well. In 2020, on the other hand, the wines are a bit lighter. Readers should note Littorai did not bottle any single-vineyard Sonoma Pinots in 2020. For the Chardonnays, 2021 is shaping up to be a brilliant vintage. The young 2021s show tremendous promise. Readers will find a richer, more giving style in the 2020 Chardonnays, which are quite appealing. I tasted all of the wines in this report on a visit in January 2023. At the time, the 2021s were all in tank, some having been racked only recently, as described in the notes, while the 2020s were in bottle. In these two very different years, Ted Lemon and Littorai again show they are at the top of their game.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Exclusive Content
Sign in to unlock professional wine reviews from world-renowned critics
After his adventures in Burgundy, owner Ted Lemon decided to go back to the United States and, in his own words, "wander around" looking for a suitable location for chardonnay and pinot noir. In 1993 he decided to go for it. Without the resources to immediately purchase a vineyard, this 'American dream' took a different turn. Not vineyards, but grapes - he bought them from several wineries in Anderson Valley and Sonoma Coast and made the wines at Robert Pecota in Calistoga in the north Napa Valley. Now, more than twenty years later, Ted and Heidi own about 7 hectares of vineyards and have long-term contracts with farmers for an additional 11 hectares of vines. Ted has been working on biodynamics since the early 2000s. The Littorai vineyards are not certified, but they work according to this philosophy. Littorai's wines are among the best in California. Ted Lemon makes pinot noir and chardonnay from single vineyards. Elegance, juiciness and concentration are key words in his cuvées. Wines with exceptional aging potential.