2016 Littorai Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard

The nose has red plums and boysenberries with a fine array of bracken and some light spices. The texture is supple, smooth, fleshy and approachable. Round but fresh. Drink or hold.

Framboise, cherry, dried herbs, and floral notes define the 2016 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard, which comes from a site in the Anderson Valley. With medium-bodied depth and richness, ultra-fine tannin, fabulous complexity, and a great finish, it’s a sensational Pinot Noir from this estate that’s going to have a long life. This is another estate making a distinctly vibrant, fresh style of wine that’s going to appeal to the Burgundy lovers out there. It’s an incredibly educational tasting going through all these different single vineyards from Ted Lemon and these are interesting, singular wines. As a whole, the 2015s shows slightly more oomph compared to the 2016s, yet both vintages have vibrant acidity and balanced profiles. As expected, quantities are slightly up in 2016.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard is pliant, supple and forward. Tasted from barrel, the Savoy looks like it will drink well with minimal cellaring, as it does not have the layers of flavor or overall structure of the very best wines in this range. Sweet floral and spice notes develop with time in the glass. It will be interesting to see if the 2016 fleshes out over time.