2004 Littorai Pinot Noir The Haven
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Tasting notes
“2004 was the first crop from the Haven Vineyard,” Ted Lemon remembers, nothing that the three-year-old vines produced only around half-a-ton per acre that year. The 2004 Pinot Noir The Haven Vineyard has a medium garnet color and mature aromas of dried blackberries, stewed black tea, saline, dried leaves and spice. The palate is mature and pleasantly earthy in character, with fully softened tannins, bright acidity and a long, layered finish. It has matured gracefully and will hold for several more years.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Sits west of the town of Occidental on the south shoulder of a 1,200 ft ridge on Hugo and Josephine loams. The property, the first to be purchased and planted by Lemon in 2001, is very heterogeneous, containing uplifted undersea volcanics, sandstones, shales and loams derived from serpentine soils. This site is farmed using organic and biodynamic methods but is not certified. Free-run juice from a combination of destemmed fruit and roughly 30% whole-clusters ferments with ambient yeasts in a combination of steel and wood, utilising both punchdowns and pumpovers, with the wines pressed at dryness. Aged for 14–17 months in 40% new French oak on the lees with no racking. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Light to medium ruby. Smells of raspberries, smoked meat, dashi, and citrus peel. Vibrant and juicy flavours of sour cherry, redcurrant, rooibos and citrus peel are wrapped in a gauzy haze of tannins. The brightness here is remarkable, mouth-watering and faintly saline. Feels so complete and detailed for merely the fourth leaf of these vines. Remarkable. (AY)
So rich, mouth-filling, savory and still deeply fruity after all these years. Ample in cedar, potpourri, black-cherry and star-anise flavors on a full body. Complex, layered, mature and delicious. Drink now or hold. Littorai retrospective tasting May 2025.
About the producer
Littorai stands as one of California’s most quietly influential estates, defined by organic and biodynamic farming, site transparency, and a restrained, Burgundian sensibility.