Littorai, Hirsch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

12.8%. Medium transparent ruby. No sign of age. Modest nose on PnP. Creamy cherry, bit of blueberry. Wakes up in the glass with a few swirls, bit of stem. On the palate, absolutely delightful. Impeccably balanced, balanced fruit, nice acidity, bit of dust, bit of stem. Amazing finish, goes on and on, bit of dust on the finish as well. Stem component became more pronounced, in a good way, after 30-40 mins. On Friday I was on my bike thinking …

2013 vintage

In a really great place. Earthy, mushroomy with a touch of cherry on the nose. Savory with a sweet umami finish. Really nice.

2010 vintage

Lovely nose with notes of raspberries, pine needles, roses, red cherries, and a hint of baking spices. Great acidity on the palate with flavors of tart red cherries,a hint of blood orange and pomegranate, forest floor, and sweet red fruit. Nice finish. This is showing very well. I really get a sense of place with this wine, it‘s clearly California Pinot, but in the best possible way.

2013 vintage

PnP but better after 10 minutes of slo-ox. The color was a clear medium violet to a faded rim. Dark red fruit and some earth on the nose. The medium bodied palate showed a delicious mix of the dark red fruits - black cherry, cranberry, raspberry - along with savory spice and earth. The acidity was juicy and there was no evidence of any tannins. Will continue to hold but no reason to wait.

2013 vintage

Overly acidic. Drink now or better yet a few years ago.

2013 vintage

Excellent in late 2023 - has aged beautifully. Savory and even austere, but there's more than enough fruit to create balance. Maybe less acid-forward than I remember from a couple of years ago. Probably on the more intellectually rewarding side of the spectrum than one that tugs at the heartstrings, but an exemplar of what great California fruit can do in the hands of a great California winemaker.

2013 vintage

As delicious as the last bottle!

2013 vintage

Delicious red cherry and berry aromas and flavors with mineral and earth notes culminating in a long finish with refreshing sour cherry notes and balancing acidity.

2013 vintage

Muted floral aromatics, easy going but not super refined. Light on palate.

2010 vintage

very oaky and darker fruits/ riper. but still thought it was a burgundy

2010 vintage

Very young but decanted. It's got some serious tannins for first 20 minutes in glass but opens and coheres over an hour-ish. Really quite love, medium weight cherry and dark berry fruit. Great balance here. 12.5% alcohol per label. Needs 3-4 years to hit its zone I'd say.

2018 vintage

Aging gracefully with similar tasting note to previous bottle but with more mature notes.

2010 vintage

12.8% abv. Light ruby, very aromatic. Cranapple, rock, mushroom and mint. Light and lively on the palate. Good l depth, a little short on the palate.

2013 vintage

In a good spot at this time - the gears are all working together.

2013 vintage

Drinking beautifully! Delicious red cherry and berry aromas and flavors with mineral and earth notes culminating in a long finish with refreshing sour cherry notes and balancing acidity.

2010 vintage

Needs time. We drank at a Christmas Eve dinner with family in London with some wonderful white park sirloin steaks (a classic pairing for pinot noir). The wine was decanted for 2 hours before dinner as I thought it would be too young and it would benefit from some aeration. All my experiences with Hirsch vineyard pinots at Williams Selyem have been that they benefit from at least 15+ years of aging. I don’t know how well Littorai wines will …

2013 vintage

Faint sour cherry and barnyard nose. Taste is sour cherry, prune, red currant and cinnamon. Some notes of bitter herbs. Strongly acidic finish. Some tannins, but this is probably at or close to peak. More rustic than elegant.

2013 vintage

Juicy, thick-skinned black plum, tart cranberry, and mint. Bitter herbs on finish with mild acidity. Lovely.

2013 vintage

Outstanding wine entering it's sweet spot. It has strawberry, cherry and baking spice elements in a deep and fine finish. Slight sikly tannins pick up with some time in the decanter. This is really good and in prime drinking condition.

2013 vintage

Garnet with a brick rim. Feels like Givry from a ripe year - loads of acidity and ripe red fruits. Drink up - this is tasty now but I don’t think it will improve.

2010 vintage

PnP. Medium light red. Lovely intense cherries on the nose with perhaps some other red fruits, strawberry for instance. On the palate this has medium weight with lovely fruit flavors and a prominent minerality which I find is iron-like and is classic Hirsch. Tannins are largely resolved and the balance is spot-on. Very transparent to the site as Littorai often is in less ripe vintages. I think this will keep for a few more years but no reason to wait.

2013 vintage

Very well-made wine with a distinctive character. Needs food - lots of acid, almost a nervous edge. *Almost* too thin for my palate, but gets a bit juicier after 1-2 hours open in the bottle - regardless gives a lot of pleasure. Seems likely to go well beyond 2025.

2013 vintage

Lovely bottle, in its prime. Very light, moderate-to-mild acidity, and no sediment. Stone, cinnamon, bright fruit (strawberry, currant), and very Burgundian in style.

2013 vintage

Splash decanted 30 mins. Drank over 2 hrs. Nose was very muted and that didn’t change over the 2 hrs. That made me think the palate might be a little tired. Quite the opposite. Palate was weighty with tart red fruits; sour cherry and cranberries. Seems to have some stemmy elements and brown spice with some herbal notes. Would have like to have seen what this was like on day 2. But alas, there will be no day 2 for …

2010 vintage

Absolutely fantastic, incredible depth, long long finish, delicious red fruit. These Littorais all need 6-7 years to show what they are made of.

2013 vintage

12.6% abv. Light burgundy red, very aromatic. Raspberry, stone and cinnamon on the palate - excellent depth and length. Good now and over the medium term.

2013 vintage

another great bottle. moderate alcohol. bright lifted cherry. acid that makes you salivate and come back for more. v nice

2013 vintage

PnP. Medium light red. Nose of dark fruits and herbs. Initially this is rather thin on the palate with a pronounced mineral taste and some apparent tannins on the finish. With air this fleshes out shows more depth but is still tight and a bit astringent. Needs time.

2013 vintage

Decanted and instantly the aromatics blossomed and wafted in the immediate area. Light to medium red berries highlighted with spices. Nice acidity and a beautiful finish. Makes me wonder why I don't buy more Littorai. Drinking well now.

2010 vintage

No formal notes, but this was quite good. Still pretty young, would love to try in 5+ years.

2013 vintage

Tart cherries with a hint of herbs. Lighter on it's feet which allows the pretty notes to shine. Best part is the finish (no harsh/heat notes). Loved this wine.

2010 vintage

Had a long day and wanted to pull something that I knew I’d 100% enjoy, with no controversy or ambiguity. Mission accomplished, and it’s at a wonderful stage in its development. No idea if it gets better, but it’s ready and generous, quickly without much air. Beautiful in that medium-bodied, forward fruit yet amply acidic way

2013 vintage

Lovely wine at the end of its life. Drink up

2010 vintage

Absolutely beautiful. Love the array of flavors and the impeccable balance!

2013 vintage

The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like strawberry, red currant, strawberry jam, dust and honeysuckle. It tastes like strawberry, strawberry jam, cherry, forest floor and vanilla. The body is light/medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.

2013 vintage

This was the first off bottle just not great but very good

2013 vintage

Outstanding. Cherry and red fruit aromas. Somewhat plush on the palate but perfectly in balance with cooling acidity. Tannins mostly resolved. Reads as new world due to the generosity of fruit but it’s not overdone, sweet, or hot. In a really great place right now. Wish I had more.

2010 vintage

Really excellent. Aged nicely. Lovely deep cherry nose. Long finish.

2010 vintage

Pale red. Bright strawberry and pomegranate notes. Very crisp and light on its feet- really good tonight.

2010 vintage

Tart cherry and rose petals. Really nice!

2010 vintage

really enjoyed this. light bodied with resolved tannins. red fruit framed with tea, herbs, and lifted by a bit of menthol. nice acidic frame. has really matured nicely and is quite elegant.

2010 vintage

PhillyBadger said it best. Can't describe better than s/he. I'd give it only a little lower rating.

2010 vintage

Would be a 90 if I didn't drink across 3 hours (after a 2 hour decant). Snuck a sniff in the decanter and got some tar and forest funk, as expected. First glass was decent as some of the fruit started to come through but at first the finish was thin. Last glass opened up nicely with a subtle (for California standards) fruit nose of strawberry and spice. Wine was very well-integrated by hour 5 of contact with air, and …

2010 vintage

This wine is drinking wonderfully right now. What poise and balance.

2010 vintage

I know I'm over scoring this wine, mostly because it it is flawless execution of a lean, cooler climate Pinot that is just a wonderful expression of Sonoma Coast. This is an archetype for the rest of Sonoma that stands in the face of RRV area wines, Martinelli and Siduri. The wine is brilliant clear garnet with a nose full of light cherry, tar, star anise, HdP and a light floral scent I can't place. The body follows from the …

2010 vintage

Lighter body, resolved tannins, good integration of elements, tea leaves, spice - fruit doesn't really dominate though it informs the wine in a positive way. Very enjoyable. A nice wine for after dinner as well.

2010 vintage

13.1% abv. Light burgundy red, very expressive aromas. Savory, energetic red fruit with lots of Pinot spice. Penetrating and focused with excellent depth and length. Should continue to evolve well.

2010 vintage

light red. nose of dried cherry, tea leaves, dried herbs, and faint hint of menthol. bright acid on the palate framing a red fruit profile. tannins still present but in balance with the other elements. elegant with a nicely perfumed quality.

2010 vintage

Wonderful.

2010 vintage

PnP. Last bottle. Medium light red; initially quite funky on the nose, which cleans up over time in the glass. Medium weight with good balance of herbal characteristics and red fruits, with an emphasis on the former. Not up to usual in this vintage but still enjoyable.

2010 vintage

Are you sure?

Littorai, Hirsch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews