Littorai - Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017
Littorai Wines is a small, family-owned winery located on the north coast of California, USA. It belongs to Heidi and Ted Lemon. Ted is a lifelong winemaker who began his career by receiving an Enology degree from the Université de Dijon in 1981. He is the first American to ever be hired as winemaker and vineyard manager of an estate in Burgundy, Domaine Guy Roulot in Meursault, where he resided until 1984. He worked at many prestigious estates in Burgundy: Domaine Georges Roumier, Domaine Bruno Clair, Domaine Parent, Domaine De Villaine, Domaine Delorme and Domaine Dujac. Heidi worked at several estates in Napa prior to founding Littorai: Domaine Chandon, Robert Pecota Winery, Robert Long Vineyards and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. In 2010, Ted was selected as Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle. He has been nominated multiple times for a James Beard award as Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year. Their farming techniques are the fruitful expression of many years’ research in the fertile cross currents of permaculture, agro-ecology, and biodynamic farming.
Cerise Vineyard is a hillside vineyard situated at high altitude on a very steep and rocky south-facing slope in the northeast range of mountains above the town of Boonville. While this is located at the warmer end of the Anderson Valley, its elevation and exposure place it directly in the fog layer, resulting in great diurnal swings. Coupled with poor top soils, this steep exposition allows to harvest fruit with a high skin-to-juice ratio from the struggling vines. The soils vary within the three cascading hills that make up Littorai’s parcels, allowing for complex and well-structured wines. The parcel of Cerise Vineyard was planted expressly for Littorai in 1998. This site is farmed using organic materials and biodynamic methods, not certified.
Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir