Littorai Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 Magnum

Littorai Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 Magnum

Littorai
$440.00

Grape: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2013
Type: Red

This red wine comes from Cerise Vineyard on the east bank of Anderson Valley, a site Ted Lemon has worked since 1996, among the longest-standing relationships in the Littorai portfolio. Lemon farms the site organically and biodynamically, the same practice across every Littorai vineyard, and ferments on native yeast with minimal sulfur and no fining or filtration. The wine ages by lunar cycle in the cellar rather than a fixed calendar.

It displays a translucent ruby color, opening with red cherry, dried herb, and a faint forest-floor note. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame balances bright red fruit against a savory, earthy undertone typical of the site. Fine tannins run through the middle without adding weight. Acidity is lifted and keeps the wine precise rather than plush. It finishes long and layered, built to hold well past a decade in bottle.

Cerise sits between 800 and 1,100 feet on a steep, rocky, south-facing slope in the mountains above Boonville. This is the warmer end of Anderson Valley, but the elevation and exposure put the parcel directly in the fog layer, giving wide diurnal swings, while shallow clay loam over shale and serpentine keeps the vines struggling. Littorai's parcel was planted expressly for them in 1998 and averages just 1.63 tons per acre.