TN: 2006 Littorai Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard

WINE TALK
#1

Wow, this is some really good stuff and is just starting to open up. No doubt this could use some more sideways time as it still seems a bit shy but it drinks great with a nice healthy decant.

2006 Littorai Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (12/26/2010)
Decanted for a little over three hours. Color was fairly light upon opening but picked up a bit of density with air. Nice clear light ruby color with a dark hued center. Wonderful spicy red fruited nose. Pomegranate, cranberry, maybe a bit of cherry all rolled in exotic spices. Underneath all of the primary fruit is some woody whole cluster aromas, a bit floral and perfume scented, light toasty oak, a bit of nutmeg and some cigar shavings. On the palate is a nice blend of sappy lip smacking red fruits, mostly cranberry and pomegranate. Palate is very broad and seems to glide wile coating all corners of my mouth. A bit darker on the back-end with some black raspberry and black cherry. Nice round and polished tannins with a really nice acidic backbone. More red floral notes, a bit of forest floor, pine resin and a touch of oak. Everything seems to be in balance here, listed abv at 13.7% and not detectable. Nice length, balance and seemingly weightless. Love this stuff, a great pinot with nice depth and concentration while remaining rather fresh. (93 pts.)

#2

i’m surprised more folks don’t drink these wines.

thanks for the note.

#3

I would but they are on the expensive side. $80 for a single vineyard pinot from CA is a tough pill to swallow. Luckily I got this from Benchmark for $45. [worship.gif]

#4

tyler - agreed. the summa is a bit costly, but the hirsch and theiroit are around 60, and thus on par with many other excellent cali pinots enjoyed by many on this board - rhys, rivers marie summa ov, arcadian, copain, etc.

btw $45 was a steal!

#5

Great note, Tyler. I need to try more of the Littorai single vineyard pinots, as I’ve only had small snapshot tastes at group events before. They always sound like delicious wines when I read the notes from tasters I trust. Thanks for sharing your experience.

#6

I agree. Just not a price point that begs you to put your foot in the water. Good for the producer, though, that there’s the customer base to support a very intelligent winemaking philosophy and reward his approach.

#7

I would love to continue to support this winery, but at this price point, I just can’t do it. A year or two ago, I had my “come to Jesus” that any winery charging $60+/bottle needs to hit it out of the park almost every time, or I have to cut them. With my Littorais, I’m going to say that while every bottle was “good”, only one in five bottles was a “grand slam”. At $25/bottle, this would be okay, but not at Littorai’s price point. Another observation I had was that their lower cuvees (the Sonoma Coast and the Les Larmes) performed at or near the single-vineyard offerings, at half the price.

#8

The Thieriot is $70 and the Hirsch is $65.

With the sole exception of the Rhys Alpine Terrace ($69) you are comparing THE most expensive Rhys/RM/Copain wine with the least expensive Littorai SVD (Savoy $60). Also Rhys has always included shipping, and if i’m remembering correctly so did RM and Copain last year, at least for a case or more.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the style and still own more than 50 bottles. But I dropped off in the 2008 vintage due to price. I think Cary Wun said in the Ted Lemon thread, they are $10/bottle too high - I think it is closer to $15-20.

Thanks for the notes though and I am very much looking forward to drinking mine over the next several years. Thinking about starting in on the 2004’s soon.

#9

All valid points on the pricing of the littorai wines. The $80 price tag for the summa is very high, especially when you look at Rivers Marie which is $45 and $60 for the OV ($2 per bottle to ship). While their SVD’s are expensive I still enjoy their appellation wines, even though they may be expensive when compared to other producers.

I also try and pick some up at retail for less than mailer cost whenever I can. It doesn’t happen often but its nice when you can find bottles like this 06 Summa for $45.

#10

I’ve had two awesome btls of this wine that drank like 1er Cru Chambolle Musigny which usually sells for $125+. I have one left and trying to keep my hands off. I agree $80 is tough for anything but this wine lives up to that price point.