2007 Littorai Pinot Noir Roman Vineyard- USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (2/7/2010)
Taking one for the team on Superbowl Sunday! Opened at ~60degF. Pop-n-pour. Light ruby in color. Initial impressions: Bright red cherries with some orange peel and some subtle baking spices. Still a bit tight aromatically. Very silky and elegant in the mouth. Light weight. Quite closed in the mouth with gentle acidity and very minimal tannins. Medium length finish. Hoping some complexity and mid-palate will reveal themselves with some air time.
T+30mins: Broader cherry aromas. In the mouth, it has opened a bit with sappy, sweet red berry fruits. This is a well made wine but for $60, I was hoping for something little extra…something
My palate is a little fatigued by now but to me, some slight earthiness and graphite have come out in the aromas. In the mouth there is a pronounced flintiness. Some would call this mineral, some would call this bitterness. I gave a sample to my fiancee who has a sharp palate (as most women seem to have) but not the wine vocabulary. Her impressions with the mouth feel was that it started light weight in the mouth, crescendoed in the mid-palate, then finishes “hollow”. I would agree with her impressions.
I poured off about a third of a bottle into a half-bottle when I first opened it and put it in the fridge, so I can post some notes tomorrow.
Overall…Mixed feelings about this wine. Clearly this is a well made wine. Comparisons with the rest of the Littorai 07 lineup: This does not have the structure and tannins as the 2007 Mays Canyon. I like the acidity and floral components of the 07 Cerise and 07 Savoy a bit more. Cerise and Savoy received a dollop of whole cluster that vintage while the Roman did not.
I have two more bottles of this so I will be glad to try this again in a few years.