2011 Chardonnay Mays Canyon

The 2011 Chardonnay Mays Canyon represents the height of elegance. Orange blossoms, nectarines and white flowers all come to life in a wine endowed with superb balance and pure harmony. In 2011 the Mays Canyon is rich, exotic and intense, much of that coming from an element of botrytis in the fruit. If that sounds appealing, believe me, it is!

(13.5% alcohol, the highest of these chardonnays): Aromas of pear and quince are lifted by a floral element and a hint of botrytis. Dense, precise and quite dry, with the brisk fruit flavors of pineapple, grapefruit and lemon a bit muted today by SO2. Conveys a strong impression of extract buffered by firm acidity. Finishes with excellent lift. I would not be in a hurry to drink this.

The 2011 Chardonnay Mays Canyon represents the height of elegance. Orange blossoms, nectarines and white flowers all come to life in a wine endowed with superb balance and pure harmony. In 2011 the Mays Canyon is rich, exotic and intense, much of that coming from an element of botrytis in the fruit. If that sounds appealing, believe me, it is! Anticipated maturity: 2013-2021. There is no doubt in my mind Littorai is one of this country’s crown jewel wineries. Proprietor Ted Lemon has the magic touch with both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Readers will find a large number of fabulous wines in both 2010 and 2011. Simply put, this is a superb set of new and upcoming releases from a California icon. The 2010s are a product of a generally cold year marked by significant disease pressure during the middle of the growing season and two significant heat spikes that followed in late August and September. Ted Lemon told me the Chardonnay was more affected by sunburn than the Pinot and required considerable sorting. The vintage was not without its challenges for the Pinot, however, as the One Acre and Platt were declassified to the Les Larmes and Sonoma Coast bottlings respectively, neither of which I tasted. The harvest was a little late for the Pinot, but very late for the Chardonnay. Littorai’s 2011s are some of the most intriguing wines of that difficult year. The Chardonnays are unique and compelling, largely because the presence of botrytis gives the wines an element of exoticism and texture that is atypical. The Pinots are wonderfully transparent expressions of some of the top sites in the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. Lemon adds that, while he is typically among the first to pick, in 2011 he was among the last, as the fruit took a very long time to ripen under the cool conditions of the year. In 2011, the percentage of whole clusters in the Pinot is lower across the board than in 2010. As always, the Littorai wines are farmed naturally, vinified with natural yeasts, see minimal handling and are generally bottled without fining and filtration. Tel. (707) 823-9586