Tasting with Littorai

One of the producers I most respect for the integrity of his approach in the States is Ted Lemon, owner and winemaker of Littorai. I've been buying his wines for some years but have never visited until now. I spent a few hours with Jacqueline Yoacum, the assistant winemaker, tasting through most of the 2004's. Jacqueline characterized the vintage conditions as cool and kind of slow. The vineyard sources are all pretty cool and coastal so they have good experience with this sort of year. Yields are very small in '04 meaning the wines show good concentration. The Pinot Noirs especially showed some muscle.

The Chardonnays are usually given some new oak for aging, in ‘04 most had15-20 percent. The Chardonnays had consistently firm, fresh acidity - something I know Parker does not love, but for my purposes with cooking - I am happy it is there...so long as the wine has good depth of fruit through the middle and it doesn’t take expression away from the finish. The Mays Canyon is the prettiest, most pleasing and probably most food versatile. It would be ideal for Rockfish and Spring Vegetables, etc.

The Charles Heintz Vineyard does not quite yet have some of the nuances as the others. It's kind of like a Maconnais wine on steroids and a high-protein diet. Rich, dense with firm acidity and lots of stone fruit that has more lactic notes. It would be excellent for Louis-style Roasted Chicken, runny cheeses and mushroom dishes.

The Theriot Vineyard was less developed but I think has better material. I often like this wine the best of theirs because of the complexity of fruit it shows with a few years of bottle age. The ‘98 is drinking very well now from my cellar as is the ‘01. Opulent shellfish is the thing for this. The pinots were very diverse and showed excellent individual character. All of these wines will benefit from a least a little cellaring, 2-5 years. The Hirsch is pretty showy as always and will be the most attractive young. It is showing focused black raspberry fruit a little peat and a light caramel-floral perfume. This wants some sort of nice, fatty salmon dish - maybe with lentils. The Theriot was the most detailed and developed on the palate, but is a bigger, firmer wine and wants richer cooking and more time in the cellar. It has very sweet black raspberry fruit that gives you lovely spice trills on the finish. This is probably the top Pinot this year.

The Haven vineyard is the first vineyard that the Lemons have developed and owned on their own. This is their first vintage. It immediately reminded me of some Pommards that I've had over the years: all black cherry and cherry pit, almost a little brandy note to the finish. This should get some cellar time and is primed for braised beef and such as it's a pretty dense, firm wine with a little ripe tannin. I will remain interested in this vineyard over the next few years as they have some experience with it.

The Savoy vineyard in the Anderson valley in Mendocino is an entirely different sort of site. The ‘04 from here is a more meaty, chewy and structured wine that requires the most aging of their pinots to show what it has. We tasted the ‘97 Savoy as well and it showed really magnificently. As aromatically interesting as any Dugat 1er cru I've had. I have to admit I was sort of shocked and I think Jacqueline was also at how perfectly it showed. Real perfume, almost fetid cherries and saussicon on the nose, big rich and muscular on the palate. I may have to take a bottle to Ma Cuisine in Beaune to have with the Andouillette.

These are very small production wines worth buying and cellaring if you like European as well as American wines. They're probably not for you if you like fruity, syrupy, oaky stuff for immediate consumption. These are NOT likely to be available at 604 without a special request. There are Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings that are likely to be bountiful enough to make the shelf.

Wines of Lesser Known Vintages Produce Gems Too

I've spent a lot of time recently drinking wines from "off" and so-called lesser vintages. I will get into discussions with friends who are critics about these years, feeling strongly there is some danger in generalizing about it.

Are there years where all the wines from some areas are just atrocious? Yes, of course. 1991 Chateauneuf du Pape comes to mind, undrinkable in my experience. There are other situations though, years where individual performances are far more pleasing than is the reputation of the vintage, but not necessarily for the same qualities that may make wines desirous in stronger vintage conditions. For example the 1997 Bonnes Mares from Frederic Mugnier is a soft and expressive, incredibly detailed wine at the moment that will compliment a simply roasted young chicken or guinea fowl. It does not at present have dense enough material to take on red meat dishes. The 2002 of same can serve that purpose, a denser and more fruit-packed version of the same with a plush palate and a small dose of ripe tannin. Bring on the Veal Shoulder Confit with Morels that I always beg Cindy to make.

There are also times when certain areas of a region produce stronger wines than others. If you can understand why tomatoes taste different and ripen differently in various spots in your yard due to shade or slopes then you understand all you need to regarding internal regional vintage variation. Recently in the Mid-Atlantic we were soaked by a week of heavy rains. BWI registered 5 or so inches, downtown 7.5, Roland Park 8 and all had different patterns. The same variation happens in all wine-producing regions. A great lesson for me was 1983 Bordeaux. The better estates in Margaux significantly outperformed their northerly neighbors in Pauillac where the same grapes are grown and you could argue have better terroirs and more technically capable winemaking. How the vine accesses this water is critical. The soils in Margaux are sandier and Pauillac is more gravel, this makes for different drainage...and all wine is rainfall translated through the vine into a juice we ferment. I'll trade you even up 83 Mouton for Palmer anytime.

The same idea holds true when you blindly buy wines for strong vintage reputation. There are mediocre wines produced every year in every region. That's why knowledge of the growers and regional nuances are so important. I've had guests say in the past "I ordered this from your list because it's a 97 Brunello, how can I go wrong?" I have tasted about sixty 97 Brunelli and you can go wrong. Unfortunately, after tasting the wines, I bought too little of Sassetti, Valdicava, Friggiali, Scopetone, and Ciacci as well as a few others.

I would be very happy to entertain vintage-oriented questions anytime. How are the 95 Chateauneuf du Pape drinking now? Is 2002 or 2003 stronger for Priorat? What has happened to 94 Oregon Pinots? I was born in 1972 what wines are still drinking well that I could try to find for my birthday party?