Sign In

2017 Littorai Wendling Vineyard Block E Pinot Noir

Stored in GSN professional storage; Purchased from WineBid

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

97Vinous / IWC

Immediately explosive in its bouquet... Rich, layered and hauntingly beautiful, the 2017 is simply magnificent.

93The Wine Advocate

...very concentrated nose of warm crushed blackberries and black cherries, dried rose petal, saline, smoke, sweet strawberry and raspberry preserves with notions of amaro, dusty earth and old leather. The palate is light to medium-bodied and youthfully coiled with a firm frame of lightly chalky tannins and good freshness, finishing long on a citrus peel note.

93James Suckling

Striking earthy, foresty freshness with fresh-mushroom and spiced-blueberry aromas, too. Complex pinot here. The palate has a very succulent feel with supple, vibrant red to dark cherries, blueberries and flashes of plums. There’s a wealth of fuller tannin that wraps the fruit nicely.

16.5Jancis Robinson

PRODUCER

Littorai

Littorai was founded in 1993 by Heidi and Ted Lemon in western Sonoma County. Ted Lemon earned an enology degree from the Universite de Dijon and worked at prestigious wineries in Burgundy in the early 1980s. In California he was founding winemaker at Chateau Woltner on Howell Mountain. Littorai makes Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River. It also makes Chardonnays.

REGION

United States, California, North Coast, Mendocino County, Anderson Valley

Mendocino AVA was established in 1984 and amended in 1989. It includes numerous sub-appellations. Mendocino AVA is entirely within Mendocino County, and the AVA is known for its Mediterranean climate. Vintners successfully grow Carignan, Charbono, Grenache, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah and Syrah. In cooler parts of the region Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are also grown. Mendocino County is home to nearly 600 vineyards, and many have been certified organic for decades, thanks to the region’s famous “green and sustainable” approach to agriculture and nearly everything else. Mendocino was named for 16th century explorers, a pair of brothers whose last name was Mendoza. Winemaking, however, didn’t start until the 19th century when some would-be gold miners decided it was more profitable to make wine than to pan for gold. Italian immigrants in the late 19th century continued to establish winemaking ventures.

TYPE

Red Wine, Pinot Noir

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.

VINTAGE

2017 Littorai Wendling Vineyard Block E Pinot Noir